Love! To Share – Sermon 23 December, 2012

Love! To Share

Jeremiah 33:10-16    John 3:16-21     1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

In the joyous season of Christmas and New Year our tradition is to exchange gifts. Sometimes we give gifts out of obligation or duty and not because of our genuine affection. At Christmas we exchange gifts, forgetting and even ignoring the Child, the Incarnate God, who was born in Bethlehem.

Unfortunately nowadays the Saviour Jesus Christ is out of the picture and Christmas has consequently been commercialised as people manipulated the event for their own gain.

As we exchange gifts, it is worth considering what is the best and the most perfect gift.

The best gift ever given in the history of the world is of course the gift of God to mankind. The gift of His only Son, who was given to us at Christmas. There is no other gift that can replace it.

To evaluate this special gift let’s think about the Nativity Scene. There we see the Magi, the shepherds and a few animals. But in the middle we see Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and sleeping in the manger.

The depiction of the Manger demonstrates the love in the giving of the Child Jesus.

1. The stable of Bethlehem depicts the love of God

One of the central figures of the Christmas story is the child born in the manger of Bethlehem to the unmarried couple. Interestingly, this arrangement encompasses both the tension of the situation and the hope. Joseph and Mary were engaged; but Mary was pregnant. The child who was going to be born was man and God at the same time. But who was going to believe to such a thing. In the eyes of people, they were sinful.

We also see the little town of Bethlehem, which was one of the small suburbs of Jerusalem in today’s terms, where He was born, in a stable. Not very suitable for a king. Why did God choose Mary, Joseph and the stable?

God trusted Mary and Joseph’s clean and pure hearts. He chose Bethlehem to show that Jesus was being born in the house of David. And finally, the stable to show that Jesus came for all. All this shows God’s perfect love for us.

2. The child in the manger depicts the love of God

John in his first epistle wrote: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Here we see that God starts to build a relationship with us. This is completely opposite to what religion teach us. Religion begins with the assumption that we should start the relationship with God. Religion also teaches us that we should change to gain the love of God. We cannot persuade God to love us more, because He already loves us; and that was the main reason why He gave His Son. God is love. Love is His nature. It is impossible to imagine a love like this. The birth of Jesus shows God’s wonderful love towards us.

It is left to us to accept the gift with a thankful heart. John says: “Great love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

God loves us to the extent that He was ready to sacrifice His life for us.

The fourth theme of the Advent is Love. A love which was revealed to us by the incarnation of the Lord Jesus. God demonstrates His unexpected costly love to the sinful human being, who is buried in sin and has fallen short of the glory of God, the only consequence is death. But thanks to God, for with the grace of the Lord we have the possibility to be rescued from death. God’s love can do this.

At present, the word Love is used very lightly. We use it as an adjective to express our feelings for objects and not sincerity.

During these days of Advent, as we wait for the coming of the Lord, it is worth thinking about the real meaning of Love. What is love? We have heard these words many times: “God is love”. We can summarise the whole New Testament in this three very simple words.

We can explain the love in the following way.

1. Love is to extend a hand and to serve the lost. Jesus knew who Zacchaeus was well; he was a sinful tax collector. But He wanted to go to his house, to sit at his table and give him a call for salvation. With our prayers we should go out to those who need the Good News of salvation. This is done only through love.

2. Love is to pray for our enemies. It is very easy to get angry and upset with those who wrong us and gossip. But it is better to forgive even though it is difficult to do. When they were crucifying Jesus on the hill of Golgotha, He prayed to God and said: “God forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. He prayed and forgave them when He was dying on the cross. Following His example let us pray and show our love.

3. Love is self-sacrifice. There are many explanations for self-sacrifice. For example, saving money and giving to the poor. But real self-sacrifice is to give our life to others, like the four believers did during the Second World War, when their ship was being sunk they gave their life jackets to others. Jesus gives His life for us. How much are we ready to give our lives for our brothers and sisters with the love of the Lord. He does this to show His perfect love that He has for us. This is His love story.

God so loved the world, us, that He gave His only Son. This is the ultimate love; we cannot imagine a greater love than this. So as we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that God did His best and gave His best. And the reason is very simple; He loved us and still He does. According to the prophet Jeremiah, God made a promise to restore the people and give them hope for a better future. He promised that for He is good and His love endures for ever.

Let us show a similar love to others.

Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Thessalonica saying that he was impressed with the report that Timothy brought to him. Timothy reported Paul about their faith and love. That was good news and he encouraged them to grow in that love. He also exhorted them that their love may increase and overflow for each and every one. Paul pleaded to them to grow in their love and share that love with all.

Today as we think about the fourth theme of Advent. Let us remember that God loves us, God is love, we are His beloved children, we have the love in us through Jesus Christ and we ought to share it with others.

May the love of God rule our hearts and help us to grow and love those who are around us.

As we accept the greatest gift ever given, the birth of Jesus Christ, let us share this great gift of Love with all.

Krikor Youmshajekian