Advent Love is marked on the fourth Sunday with all four candles lit.
At our house, we light all four and another big one in the middle on Christmas day–signifying Jesus has come.
(We also put a candle on the Ule Log and sing Happy Birthday in honor of the Christ child).
What does love have to do with the expectation of Christ coming?
Everything.
Jesus is all about love.
Advent love is about the Messiah–the Savior–coming into the world
God cannot look upon sin; in order for men and women to be with him eternally in heaven, they could not be part of sin.
Jesus explained it this way in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, He sent his only son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
When God looks on believers, he sees us through a Jesus-lens: that of souls whose sins are forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Why a baby?
Followers of Jesus worship a God who also was man.
We do not worship a God who is unfamiliar with our lives.
Jesus allowed himself to become a baby borne by a woman.
The God who created the Universe, experienced the helplessness of all (wo)mankind when he took on flesh.
He knows what it is to be dependent on a man and a woman to survive.
Jesus had to learn to walk, to talk and to think with a man’s brain.
He grew up with siblings, interacted with parents and family members in his community.
Love cannot look upon Sin
As experienced by Jesus, God knows and understands the frailties and temptations we all face.
The only difference is Jesus did not sin. As Hebrews 4:14-15 explains:
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
I’ve always loved this Scripture passage because it gives me the freedom to be totally honest with God.
I can tell him the sinful urges of my life, I can confess without worry–because I’m not telling God anything He doesn’t already know about me, or about life.
He won’t condone my choice to sin, but He will understand–because He has been tempted in that regard, too.
Advent Love
Advent love means God loved me–and you–enough to humble himself and provide a means by which I can know Him and live with Him forever.
That means is the forgiveness that God grants me–and you–sinners both, whenever we ask.
The Advent love of the present Christmas is to celebrate Jesus’ birth–the Savior come into the world.
The Advent love of the future is my death and ushering into heaven because of that birth so long ago.
It is for these reasons that we light four candles leading up to Christmas day–the day love was born with human flesh.
Thanks be to God.
So Light a Candle?
The children sang this song last week at church, expressing love, joy, peace and hope.
Merry Christmas. The Savior has come!
Tweetables
Advent love represented by the fourth candle. Click to Tweet
John 3:16 demonstrates Advent love. Click to Tweet
Advent love comes to earth as a baby. Click to Tweet
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