Love - The Fourth Sunday of Advent 2020

The fourth candle of Advent is known as the “love” candle. Jesus is about to arrive and he will show us how to truly live and love through his life and teachings. This love that is described many times throughout scripture finally comes to life. Christ tells us how important this is:

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12: 28-31

Jesus answers the scribe with scripture. (Deuteronomy 6:4&5 and Leviticus 19:18) This was not a new concept but he tied these two together in a new way. This has always been the most important key to understanding the way of God.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life”. - John 3:16

More than just a commandment, the Messiah is the embodiment of love:

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4:7-12

Some people are easy to love and some are difficult. We might feel that we can love those different from us as long as they stay away and are from our lives. Getting involved can be messy. Or maybe we have a hard time loving people that are too much like us but with a small yet significant difference. We were never called to make everyone like us, but rather love them as they are and pray that we all are transformed by God’s love working in us.

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8

As we near Christmas Day, let us all be full of the love and light of Christ!