Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love
To me, the word "love" is a verb - love is an action. It's more than just a feeling: it's putting someone else's needs before your own. Love is not abstract, like we see on Hallmark movies, or Love is Blind on Netflix. Love embodies itself in the selfless, personal and sometimes sacrificial acts we do for others.
1 John 4:19 tells us that "we love because He first loved us." Our response to God's love for us is to love in return. But our love should not be limited to our family or friends: it should freely flow from us to those whom we interact with on a daily basis, or to those who desperately need to know they are loved.
God's love for us was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, small enough for us to hold, yet big enough to embrace us all. I love the paradox of that: immense and everlasting love in the form of a helpless newborn.
That same love still calls to us today — not from a distant place, but from within the everyday moments of our lives. It invites us to slow down, to notice the people around us, and to be present in the small, ordinary ways that reflect the extraordinary heart of God. Whether it’s offering a word of encouragement, forgiving someone who’s hurt us, or giving generously without expecting anything in return, these simple acts become glimpses of divine love in a weary world.
Love all lovely, Love Divine
Love was born at Christmas
Star and Angels gave the sign
Worship we the Godhead
Love Incarnate, Love Divine
Worship we our Jesus
Christina Rossetti, 1885
Just a thought: how can you embody love this Advent season? What act of love can you do this week?
Follow John's Advent journey here on his blog, johnscoffeehouse.blogspot.com, or on Facebook, johnscoffeehouse.
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