Advent: A Love Story

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16. 

Advent is a season filled with expectations. It’s a time when we remember the world waiting for a coming Savior, and celebrate the way the world changed when Christ was born. It’s a season filled with the light and love of Jesus, the King, born to save us. Advent is the greatest love story ever.

In this love story, we find God, wanting a relationship with us. He wanted our hearts. For over 2,000 years God pursued His people. He tried to get their attention in all kinds of ways. He created a beautiful garden. He painted a rainbow in the sky. He provided a big family in a new home in a new land. He parted a body of water so His people could escape the enemy. Ultimately, He guided them into a better land. One flowing with milk and honey.

Why? Because He loved them. He wanted them to know Him. He wanted them to love Him. So He pursued and pursued and pursued, but they turned their backs on Him. They rejected Him. But He still loved them.  So, the time came. In Matthew 1:23 we read, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.” 

Imagine that for a second. God came to earth. He didn’t send a representative He sent himself. God….with us. He came to walk with us. To talk to us. To listen to us. To pray with us. To guide us. To protect us. To encourage us. To pick us up when we fall. How can that not be a love story? 

But it doesn’t end there. He came to die for us. He presented something very precious. Something of extraordinary cost. With His arms outstretched, He offered His life. He was mocked and crucified. He endured all that because He loves us.  

Christmas is a yearly reminder that God loves you. The Bible says God is love. It doesn’t say God has love; it says God is love.  

There is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you. You could try, but you simply can’t do it – because His love for you is based upon His character and not on anything you do or say or feel.

As we move into the holiday season this year, ask God to keep this picture of love at the forefront of your mind. Ask Him to show you ways to treat others with this spirit of unconditional love. Thank Him for the ultimate show of His love for us—the gift of His Son, Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

1. What questions do you have on love during this advent season? 
2. How can we love better like Christ loved us a little more this week?