Hallmark Christmas movies immediately come to my mind when people talk about Christmas and love. A snowy little town, a big city lawyer, and a struggling small-town business. Inevitably, the big city lawyer gets snowed in at the very bed and breakfast she was sent to shut down and quickly falls in love with the innkeeper’s son. Together, they save the town and Christmas! The unlikely couple celebrates their love at their New Year’s Eve wedding surrounded by the beloved townspeople who brought them together. It doesn’t get more romantic than that, right?
But the love we read about in today’s passage is so much greater than the Hallmark love we see displayed on the TV screen. The love in 1 Corinthians 13, agape love, is the perfect love God has for His children – a self-giving, unchanging, eternal love.
True love came to earth through Jesus, and the best way to understand this love is through His life. God sent His Son, Jesus, to the weary world because of His love for us. Only through Jesus could we be redeemed and have a restored relationship with our Father. Emmanuel, a name of Jesus, literally means, "God with us." Jesus was sent so that God could dwell with His people, and this was because of His great love and desire for them to truly know Him. Jesus lived a perfect, selfless life and died a perfect, sacrificial death – for us! Jesus’ sacrificial love allows us to have a relationship with the Father and to understand and experience true, eternal love here on earth.
“Now, these three remain: Hope, faith, and love - but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
Not only is God’s love greater than any love we’ve ever known, but it’s the attribute of God that will never end! Hope and faith will no longer be necessary in heaven because we will stand face-to-face with our Father, but love will remain and endure forever! Love is the greatest of all the virtues of Advent because it captures Jesus’ entire purpose for being on earth and will continue for all eternity. God is love and will always be love.
Reflection:
- Who can you intentionally show agape love to this week? Make a list of ways you can demonstrate sacrificial love to the people in your life.
- Be sure to visit the Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar today and open your door to receive a gift of love!
Family Application: True Love
Author: Cody Smith
Do you have a favorite food that you love? How about a song you love to hear? Even though we can say we love those things, that kind of love is different than the love we feel for our parents or close friends and family. It’s easy to see that the way we use the word ‘love’ can mean different things depending on what we are talking about. So, what is the true definition of love? Luckily the Bible tells us what love is in the book of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Find that in your Bible with your family and read it together. The Bible tells us that true love, among other things, is patient, love is kind, love is not rude, love never fails and love is not self-seeking which means when you do something good for someone else, you do it just because you love them and not because you want something from them in return.
Not only does the Bible tell us what love is, but the Bible also tells us that God loves us! John 3:16 says that God loved us so much that he gave his only Son, Jesus, to give his life on the cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven of our sins. That’s a lot of love!
- Think of some ways you can show love to others this week. Maybe help your parents around the house with chores, write a letter to a friend, or say something nice to someone in your family just because you love them.
- Prayer: God, thank You for loving me so much! Help me show love to my family, my friends, and everyone I meet.