Most People associate love with the month of February, but real unconditional love comes in December. Christmas exudes Agape love. It’s perfect, pure, and sacrificial love. It expects nothing in return. Two centuries ago, love came down from heaven to live amongst us. God became man to redeem man. Love came wrapped in a blanket. It came in a baby’s cries. Love came in the most-humble of ways. Mary didn’t travel 80-100 miles in a luxurious limousine to a 5-star hotel suite. She traveled the distance by animal over rough terrain to a minus 5-star inn. Nazareth wasn’t a high-end place either. It was considered lowly, as in poverty, as in filth. It was looked down upon as a ghetto. Hence, Nathaniel said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth” (John 1:46). Humanity loves the high places. We love accolades. We love recognition, we like the pat on the back. We like entertaining to the point that we might get invited back. We give to get. We love working to get somewhere. We work to gain. There are plenty of exceptions, but in general, that’s us. That’s where Christianity distinguishes itself from all other religions. God made sure Jesus, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the richest-ever, laid it all down to be born in the most-humblest of places, a manger. He had the most-simplest accommodations, His birth was witnessed by the lowly: shepherds and animals, and had His arrival obscured versus headlined in the local papers(!).
True love, God’s love, doesn’t sound a trumpet for the things it does. True love flourishes in obscurity. It thrives amongst the most-needy, it honors God in obedience, it doesn’t seek its own, it sacrifices for the needs of others, it doesn’t grumble if its quarters are an inn-a smelly inn. True love is willing to die for others. As missionary leaders at our church in Brooklyn, N.Y. our pastor made it clear we were to donate to, or help those individuals/organizations that couldn’t in any way pay us back. God came wrapped in flesh. Walked humbly amongst His creation. He shared His love everywhere He went. He healed the sick, delivered the demonic-possessed, forgave sins, and did the ultimate: showed the world how much He loved them by willingly laying His life for us all. Christmas is the time of love. Whether you’re outside making snowballs, inside baking muffins, roasting lechon, wrapped in a blanket by the fireside watching the snow covering the earth, cooking for 1 or for for 100, or out in the Caribbean kayaking, wrap your arms around God and thank Him for Jesus. Wrap your love around those you meet. Lay your life at the tree like Christ did. See humanity the way the Godhead does: lost souls needing a Savior. Celebrate this Christmas with renewed hope, and perspective. God knows all your needs, hurts, and wants. He also wants you to understand that life is more than what we perceive or touch. Feel the needs and hurts of others and do your best to meet them. That’s true Christmas. Those are the finest gifts.
“Whoever shall confess that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he that dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in him” 1John 4:15, 16).
Merry Christmas!!
God Bless!
Sam
Christmas tree 2021