Welcome to the fourth week of Advent! This week we explore the theme of Love.
Day 1: Love Defined
Love. Our society is filled with cheap imitations, false definitions, and incorrect assumptions about it. So often our minds go to romantic love when we think about love; however, God is love. Love comes from him. Thus, we should look to him when we seek to understand love. My favorite description of God’s love comes from the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones. She describes God’s love this way:
“Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”
And as we look across the pages of Scripture, this is exactly what we see. God continues to love despite humanity’s sin, brokenness, and rebellion. Over and over God chooses to love his people rescuing them from slavery, giving them the Promised Land, establishing them as a nation, guiding them, leading them, calling them back to himself when they worship other gods. Then, in the fullness of time, Jesus, love incarnate, God with us, came.
Read the account of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:18-25. How does love show up in this passage?
Through Jesus, we see God’s love on full display. For Immanuel, God with us, is God’s answer to our sin. Instead of casting us aside, God chose to draw near. He chose to enter human history, to be born as a tiny baby, to do life with us and experience our pain and suffering. God with us. Because of his never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love, God drew near.
How do you need to experience Jesus as Immanuel this week?
Pray. Thank God for his never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love. Praise him for drawing near.
Day 2: Celebrate! Love
What makes you feel loved, as in treasured, delighted in, pursued, and fully valued? When have you experienced love like that? Love that delights in, treasures, and pursues is love that is God-shaped, and it should be celebrated. When we celebrate God-shaped love, we are celebrating God and his work in the world through Jesus.
Read 1 John 4:7-12 & 19-21. John has a lot to say about love in this short letter. What stands out to you in his words here? How does John describe God’s love?
God is love; love originates with God. John reminds us here that those who love with a God-shaped love know God. Thus, as followers of Jesus God’s love should define us. His love should motivate us and drive us in all our interactions with others. Whether a relationship or circumstance is harmonious or dissonant, we are called to love and reflect God’s love to those around us.
What connections do you see between love and celebration? What are some ways we can celebrate God’s love?
One way we can celebrate God’s love is by loving others. When we love others, we have the privilege of being the hands and feet of Christ in a world in desperate need of love. As you journey through this week, look for opportunities to love others by doing random acts of kindness. Intentionally engage with the people you encounter this week. Pay for someone’s meal, bake a neighbor cookies, or be a listening ear.
Pray. Ask God to put people in your path this week who need to experience his love.
Day 3: Glory to God
When the angels appeared to the shepherds they declared, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). God’s favor is on his people, on humanity. At the opportune moment God in his great love took it upon himself to break in to human history and set all things right.
Read the Christmas story in Luke 2:1-20, and examine artist Mike Moyers’s portrayal of the angels appearing to the shepherds in the painting below.
How does this painting move you?
How does the artist portray the glory and radiance of this scene?
The angels celebrated Jesus’ birth and proclaimed this best of all news to a group of lowly shepherds. All of the beauty and glory of the moment and God chose to reveal the birth of his son to ordinary people first. Not kings or the religious elite or the rich and powerful. Today, God continues to reveal his love to ordinary people inviting them into his magnificent story.
Take a few moments to celebrate the inbreaking of God into our reality.
Day 4: Isaiah 9:2-7
Merry Christmas! Our Savior has come! Today we are going to read Isaiah 9:2-7 meditatively, utilizing an ancient method for reading Scripture devotionally called lectio divina. You will read through the passage several times, slowly, pausing in between for prayer and contemplation. A journal and pen will be useful for this practice.
As you begin today, find a comfortable place to sit, and prepare your heart to connect with God. Breathe deeply releasing your stress and worry with each exhale, and imagine God’s love filling you with each inhale. Pray something like, “God I am here. Open my heart to your presence.”
Read Isaiah 9:2-7 aloud, slowly and intentionally, trying to hear every word. As you read notice which word, phrase, or image catches your attention. Pause for a few minutes and contemplate what stood out to you. Why might this stand out to you? Write down any thoughts in your journal.
Read Isaiah 9:2-7 aloud again. Listen once more for anything that stands out to you or seems to shimmer somehow. Is it the same or something different? How is your heart stirred? Pause here and contemplate these things, writing and praying as you feel led.
Read through Isaiah 9:2-7 one final time. This time as you read, listen for what this passage has to say about our Messiah who has come. Which name for Jesus stands out to you? What might God be saying to you through this passage today? Jot down any further thoughts.
Pray. Respond to God authentically and truthfully, praising him for his presence with you.
Day 5: Celebrate!
Our Advent journey is drawing to a close, but this is only the beginning! We are a month into the new church year while the new calendar year is upon us. Jesus is born! As we prepare to turn the calendar page to 2026, we will continue to follow along with Jesus as he grows and begins his ministry all leading up to his death and resurrection. But I am getting ahead of myself. Now is the time to bask in the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus’ birth and the remaining days of this Christmas season. Now is the time to celebrate that our Savior has come and look forward with faithful confidence to his second coming, because the King will return. Heaven will come down. We will experience the new creation in all its brilliant color.
Read Philippians 4:4-7 one final time.
How have you been formed and transformed over the course of this Advent season?
Take some time this week to reflect on your spiritual journey over this past year, and celebrate God’s work in your life.
Now look over the precipice into the new year. How is God calling you to rejoice at the beginning of this new year?
How might be calling you to continue practicing the spiritual discipline of celebration in this new year?
May celebration be an orientation of your heart as you step fully into this new year. Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again rejoice!
Art Attribution: Mike Moyers, “Hallelujah” and “Gloria” www.mikemoyersfineart.com
