For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3 v 16
Well, it’s almost here. The excitement is at fever pitch. The decorations have been up for over a month, in some cases! The cards have been sent and the shopping has been done, for most of us! There may be still a lot of preparation and cooking for the big day and we may still be waiting for relatives to arrive. The presents are piling up under the tree and we are hoping we haven’t forgotten anyone or anything.
The gifts we give are usually expressions of love. We try to find out what the recipient would like, they are an attempt to show someone we care about them, and we want to give a physical expression of something we hope they will love and enjoy. Sometimes we get it right, but not always.
So, in this very busy season, the simple but powerful words from John that we have just read remind us that Christmas is really about love.
God knew we had a need that we could never sort out. He saw our brokenness and he saw our sin. But rather than turning away, He gave. When God sent Jesus Christ He set an example for all of us. The heart of Christmas begins with an amazing God who offered His Son to the world even though we did not deserve His love.
This Christmas, as we enjoy the gifts we give and receive, let us remember the greatest gift ever given to us, God’s, beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It is a giving love, a generous love. It is a graceful love, a gift, free and unconstrained.
The love of God that John is talking about here gives without reference to our merits, our goodness, our deserving or our failures and disobedience. God does not make a list and check it twice to find out who’s naughty or nice before He gives His Christmas gift. His gift is free and undeserved and requires us only to believe in Him.
This is only the start of this great story of love. To paraphrase an old slogan; God is for life, not just for Christmas. When the decorations are gone, and the festivities finish for another year let us remember the greatest gift of all given with unconditional love for every single person.
This is our challenge, and this is also our deep and real cause for celebration this Christmas.
Julie Burnett
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