God is Love
‘Christmas’ usually conjures up images of lights, trees, decorations, gifts, food, family, church, Santa, joy, snow . . . all of which rest solidly and silently on the presence of Love that entered our world some two thousand years ago. While these are the special pleasures of the season we need to remember that they are not the experience of everyone around the world this year; however, the simplicity of the existential Christmas message that is recorded in scripture many times is what we must continue to focus on:
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God because God is Love;
1 John 4:16 God is Love and all who live in Love live in God;
Romans 8:38-39 I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present of the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,, or anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
We celebrate this message in a special and determined way each Christmas, the message that God Loves us so much that God came to humanity directly, in history, in-person, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to show us divine Love and how to live it. Since that intrusion of Love into this world we have witnessed how followers of Jesus: holy people, mystics, saints, pastors, and truly ordinary people who we all have met in our own circles of family, friends, neighours, and colleagues, have been spiritually inspired by the life, death, and message of Jesus the Christ to live in Love and to spread that Love to those around them. That core of humanity, of believers, is what gives us Hope and nurtures our Faith, particularly in these challenging times of pandemic. We are so wonderfully blessed that we see people like that in our Woodland Beach Church community.
Christmas is our time to celebrate that Hope, in God’s Love, through Jesus the Messiah.
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