December 21, 2020
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. – John 3:16
Advent Lighting – Light the four candles of advent; hope, peace, joy, and love.
John 3:16 is, perhaps, one of the most quoted verses in Scripture. It is often one of the first verses that many of us had committed to memory, and some might say the very heart of God’s message to humanity or the gospel summed up in one simple verse. The verse is so recognizable that even people who have never attended church have probably heard it. So what makes this verse so widely known?
I would submit that it is become it is a message that people long to hear. In a world that is often seen as cold and cruel, to know that one is loved is a powerful and penetrating message. Especially during this year and all of its hardships, or this time of year and the loneliness that so many feel. We, as a people, desire love.
Please allow me to remind you of something today, you are LOVED. Above all else that is between you and God, you are loved. You have been loved since before the stars began to shine, and you will be loved long after they no longer flicker with light. God’s promise to you is that He loves you, and regardless of what you have done, or what you could do, He will always love you.
The very nature of God is love; therefore, there is nothing apart from love that God could ever be. 1 John 4 explicitly tells us that “God is love,” and that we should love because we are part of God, but regardless of our ability or inability to show love, because we belong to God, love is a part of who we are.
I’ve met people in life that don’t understand why they don’t feel happy, or are constantly insecure, but the reality is those people often forget that they are loved. God loves all His people and all His creation. Some might say “God does not love me because of _____.” Though it is untrue, and a construct of their own minds. God does love that person very much, but the world has made this person feel so unloved and so insecure that they can’t realize that love.
God sent the Son, the very incarnation of love to let us know we are all loved. Though we may be far from understanding that love, just like the son who returned to his father after walking away, when we turn back to God’s love we will find it waiting for us, ready to wrap us in celebration. You, my friends, are loved, and together we celebrate such love now and always.
Grace & Peace,
Sam