LOVE in Advent – Merry Christmas!

I think it’s wonderful that we get to the 4th Sunday in Advent the day before celebrating Christmas! It offers us the ability to pause on Sunday, and meditate on all the things we have been talking about this Advent season. We get to worship together at our Christmas Eve services, at 4:30 and 7:30pm on Sunday. Then, we go right into the next day of festivities with our hearts full of gratitude for the expression of HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE the Lord has given us.

These past few weeks, Christiane and I have been inviting you to go past the feelings and reach for the TRUTH behind each word. These are not emotions, or mere sentiments floating in a vacuum. They are grounded in the Incarnate  Lord. The Eternal God and Creator of all, who entered our humanity in a specific time in history… in the most humble of ways.

In his short book, Miracles, C.S. Lewis writes:

“In the Christian story God descends to reascend.

He comes down; down from the heights of absolute

being into time, and space, down into humanity;

down further still, if embryologists are right, to

recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human

phases of life; down to the very roots and seabed of

the Nature He has created.

But He goes down to come up again and bring the

whole ruined world up with Him. One has the picture

of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get

himself underneath some great complicated burden.

He must stoop in order to lift, he must almost

disappear under the load before he incredibly

straightens his back and marches off with the whole

mass swaying on his shoulders.”

In the Christmas story God “stoops” down, and in the Easter story he “lifts” up the “great complicated burden” of a fallen world.  This is the greatest miracle of all time. Love became a person. A baby held in Mary’s arms. The Way, the Truth and the Life. Our invitation to a life of hopeful expectation, deeper joy, peace beyond circumstances, and unconditional love.  

What a privilege to worship Him together this Sunday as a family, remembering this story. As we celebrate Christmas, let us hold on to Him. Let our lives declare His LOVE. 

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him…” 

1 John 4:9 

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd and Dr. Christiane