Advent Week Four: Love
Read John 3:16-21 and Philippians 2:5-8.
Isaiah says, “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Immanuel is directly translated in Hebrew to God with us. And 1 John 4:8 says that “God is love”. So, Immanuel is another way of saying love with us.
How does that soften your heart? How does knowing this truth alter your perspective, shift your attitude? How does this promise change your life?
These are the questions I want to reflect on this week, because Christmas is a celebration of love coming down in the form of man to make a way for us sinners to be reconciled with our Maker, our Heavenly Father.
The promise of Immanuel tells us a lot about God’s character and His intentions. It tells us that the birth of His Son in a lowly manger, to lower class parents, in a time of political strife and chaos was, indeed, planned. It was on purpose that Christ entered into chaos, into literally messy circumstances, to bring hope, joy, peace, and light eternal. The themes from our previous weeks of Advent devotions have pointed us to this purpose, this gift of love.
The promise of Immanuel also assures us that there is a plan and a purpose for our lives too. And though it can be really difficult to believe sometimes, His plans are better than our own. They are for our good, they just might be difficult for us to imagine or understand.
John 3: 16-21
From our key verses in John 3, we read that God sent His Son into the world not to condemn it, but to save it. We read about his Son, that He is eternal light, but we also read about the tendency of man which is to reject this light and choose darkness instead.
But the promise of love with us is also the promise of light with us. Because true love brings life and light to us, not because we deserve it, but because of the name and person of Jesus. It is His character and His eternal promise to us that, by our faith, we have life and love forever.
Philippians 2: 5-8
What we celebrate at Christmas is love Himself choosing to come to earth, take the form of a man, the position of a servant, and die a criminal’s death. Revealing his heart to us, He took our rightful place on the cross and emptied himself for sinners and sufferers – the ultimate act of love.
And with this love we have a great hope–that what He began He will bring to completion (Philippians 1:6). And so we await His return, the second coming, when He will complete what He started with Jesus’ birth. He will bring an end to suffering, sin, and death; He will restore his people and his creation, making all things new.
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Reflect
1. How does knowing and celebrating Immanuel, the gift of love born to us in a manger, give you a new perspective as we close out 2024?
2. How does the promise of Immanuel fill you with peace, hope, and joy despite every unknown you are facing?
3. How can you share the gift of Immanuel with another this Christmas?
Leave a comment below!