December 24, 2020
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:14.
Advent Lighting – Light the four candles of Advent; hope, peace, joy and love.
NOTE: If you are following Advent at home, the Christ candle will be lit in tonight’s Christmas Eve Service, or can be lit with tomorrow mornings devotion.
It is Christmas Eve, and perhaps the festivities in your household have already begun, or the preparations for Christmas dinner. In our house, while things are different, and plans gather with some family members are paused. There is one part of our tradition that will remain – cookies will be made from scratch. This is not a tradition I grew up with, but it one that Samantha and I started when our first born was a baby. We wanted to make sure St. Nicholas was rewarded with some wonderful Christmas cookies, should he happen to stop by.
Samantha is quite the baker, and I very much look forward to ‘sampling’ the batches of chocolate chip cookies she makes. But as anyone may tell you about their special recipe, we all know the secret is love. Love may come in the form or real butter, or a pinch of salt, but it is really is the in the shared event of making something together, creating something that is meant to be given away. Love invites us to give, because love gave us Christ.
On this day, we remember that God sent His son into the world. We are the people whom God so loved, that he would give the very best to us. And the apostle Paul reminds us that love is something that we choose, we ‘put it on’ or ‘clothe’ ourselves with God’s love. The love of Christ we have inside of us binds us together – even in a year when we are apart. When we choose to do something, or give something out of love we are reflecting the love of God in our lives, and sharing it with others that we might see that perfect harmony with those in our world.
Today, as we sit back and enjoy the celebration of the coming of Christ, our Emmanuel, as we get on the video or phone calls with family and friends, let us be sure to share the love, the joy, the peace, and hope of Christ. Let that love warm the hearts of the faithful, and bind us together until we can gather together again.
Grace & Peace,
Sam