“… God is love” (1 John 4:8).

As we are celebrating Advent–the coming of Jesus—we have already pondered three themes of the season: peace, hope, and joy. During this fourth week, we ponder God’s attribute of love. Indeed, no other attribute describes the Trinity better than love. John writes that “God is Love.” It is his very nature. It is the nature of each person of the Trinity, and it is the very nature of the relationship between the persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

And for us, love also speaks to the relationship God has with us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Just think of it: God loves you!! Even when you think that no one else sees you, knows you, loves you. God does. God sees you; He knows you; He loves you. And he loves us with a purpose, which is to redeem us back to relationship with him. He is always inviting us to come to him.

• When Sarai’s Egyptian slave Hagar got pregnant by Abraham, Sarai banished her to the wilderness. An angel spoke to her and advised her to return and submit to Sarai. “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” (Genesis 16:13).
• To the children of Israel who were threatened all around by wickedness both within their borders and by hostile neighbors, God spoke through Isaiah to assure them that he knew them and their troubles: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine….Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,… (Isaiah 43:1b, 4).
• “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3).

And this beautiful quality of love is what identifies us as believers, as those who belong to the family of God. Love is more than feeling, it is an action. It is who we are and what we do.

• “’Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:36-40).
• “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35).
• “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

In this season of Advent, remember that out of His love for us, Jesus came the first time as a baby to become the sacrificial lamb, the sacrifice for our sins so that we could come before God with the righteousness of His Son. And let us look forward to Jesus’ second coming when he will return as King of Kings and LORD of Lords to lead all believers to our eternal life with God in Heaven.

Paul writes to the Corinthians in the famous “love chapter” about faith, love, and hope. He declares love to be the greatest of all. Faith and hope are equally great, and they sustain us while we are yet residents on earth. Love is greater because it not only sustains us in the here and now, but it will continue on to define eternal life. It is greater because it is everlasting.

The Bible uses earthly metaphors to describe our relationship with God and Jesus. For example, God is the Father, we are His children; Jesus is the groom, and the church is His bride. These are the epitome of a love relationship. We see this in Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….”

And then in the book of Revelation, these metaphors are continued: “Then the angel said to me, write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9). “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.’” (Revelation 21:1-6.)

We may not read the word “love” in these passages from Revelation, but we know that is what this is. May you experience the love of God here on earth and for all eternity.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

In Christ,

Judy