Advent: Love #Christmas #Advent2022 #Inspirational #Faith

In the fourth week, a candle representing love is lit.

Love plays a vital role in Christmas.

It’s out of love God gave us His son to be born among us – to become a sacrifice for us so that we’d know forgiveness and eternal life.

“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

It is out of Joseph’s love for Mary that he didn’t abide by law (that meant she would have been stoned’ or at best, disgraced publicly) when he learned of her pregnancy.

Mary found favor in God’s eyes to be the mother to Jesus – and she demonstrated this maternal love throughout His life – from birth to death.

The basis of Jesus’ ministry was focused on love.

“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: 37-40

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

God is love. Love sacrificed Jesus for our sins. People in this world recognize us as Christians by our love.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”  – 1 John 4:7

This world needs this kind of love. What better way for us to show this than by sharing the true message behind Christmas?

Christmas is all about love – God’s love. It is through Jesus will we discover the true meaning of peace and hope. It is by love that Jesus sacrificed Himself for our sins so we might have eternal life with Him.

“This is what the cross and the resurrection are all about. And Christmas is not Christmas without the message of the death and resurrection of Christ. This is why He was born. This was the message of the first Christmas night: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The Christmas message says that God’s grace is greater than our sin. It says that the sin question was answered at the cross. Christmas says that the cross went as deep as our needs. The cross was the cure—offered, paid for and administered by a loving God in His beloved Son.” – Billy Graham