And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love – 1 Corinthians 13:13

Faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love.

It all starts and ends with love. Not the Hollywood, fairy tale love that we see in the movies, but the pure, beautiful, undeserved love of God. That’s the kind of love that undergirds everything. Creation came into existence out of this love. Humanity was birthed out of this love. And Jesus died for us because of this love. Love remains because love is what holds everything together.

As we draw closer to Christmas, we’re reminded of this great love in the birth of Jesus. Born in a manger, knowing He had a limited amount of time on earth to point people Home and to give us His life. As we think about Christmas, and the miracle of His birth, it’s also a time to think about how we can love people around us with the same kind of love. Christmas can be beautiful, but for many it is hard and full of heartache.

But love remains. We can love people through their heartache and grief by sitting in the pain with them. Making a meal and dropping it off. Going across the road and mowing the lawn for the neighbour who is incapable of doing it themselves. We can invite a family over for a meal and show them they belong in community. We can invite someone to church to experience community and faith and encounter Jesus.

Some of these things are easy to do and some aren’t for various reasons, but at the end of the day, those of us who know Jesus know that we have received an unconditional, beautiful love, and we should extend that out. And only the love of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit can make extending this kind of love possible. So as we step out this week, may we seek the Holy Spirit for guidance on how to love like Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that You demonstrated and continue to pour out a love that is beautiful, pure, and unconditional. Help us to love like You and let all our actions stem from Your love to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.