Anticipating Christ: Love

We are 3 days away from Christmas, and I still feel like I'm trying to slow down Father Time. I'm not sure where 2015 went! Can't we all just agree on that?

On to the last post of the Advent series. This series has challenged me quite a bit. Let's talk about love.

This is the one that leaves me with a blank stare at the computer. I would say because of the ease in which we proclaim we love something. I love cheeseburgers. I love Coke. I love chocolate. I say these often. But they leave me numb to the actual feeling of love because they are inanimate objects.

While driving the other day, Jeremy and I passed a church sign that read "God's greatest gift of love was Jesus." Simple but true. It stirred me. I began thinking just about the capacity of love God has more me and why. I don't think I understand that capacity, and undoubtedly never truly will. God's love for us, our sinful prideful selves, is much greater than any love I can ever give or let alone understand.

This God.
This God who created the earth to spin at just the right angle; who distanced us at just the right place so the sun wouldn't burn us.
This God who creatively formed every human being on the planet.
This God who sees our sin and failure daily.
This God loved us.
This God saw our broken lives and couldn't leave us apart from Him.
This God gifted us with His Son, Jesus - the greatest gift.
This God redeemed us and has called us One of His own.
This God has loved us. Loves us. And continues to love us.
This God.

As we look to December 25th, let's remember the love that sparked the holiday. The love that saw a broken people created in the image of the Son. The love that couldn't look away from the needed restoration of a people. The love that laid in a manger. The love that was pinned to a cross.

"And this is love. Not that we loved Him, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice." 1 John 4:10

We celebrate Christmas looking forward to Easter.