Advent 4: Love
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, CSB).
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness…
For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace…
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9:2-7)
This is what the Lord says:
The one who gives the sun for light by day,
the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar—
the Lord of Armies is his name:
If this fixed order departs from before me—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
only then will Israel’s descendants cease
to be a nation before me forever.
(Jeremiah 31:35-36)
The final week of Advent leads to the greatest love the world has ever known. The Lord of Armies, the One who gives the sun for light by day and fixed the order of the moon and stars by night, set aside his mighty power and entered the form of a human baby (Philippians 2:6-7). Most people who celebrate Advent know John 3:16; it’s often one of the first verses children memorize. “For God so loved the world…”. It is a verse worthy of memorization and meditation. Our salvation rests on the love that sent the Son who made a way for us to reunite with the Father.
However, we often neglect to consider exactly how Jesus existed before his humanity began. We mentally separate the Father, Son, and Spirit because our finite minds cannot grasp the concept of eternity, much less one God in three Persons. There are just things too massive for us to understand, so we simplify God into something we can explain. Jesus is a paradox: wholly God and wholly human, and that math doesn’t track.
It’s important, then, to look at the history of God’s interactions with his people, Israel. God chose this particular family to be His own, beginning with Abraham. He led them, blessed them, watched their rebellion, and redeemed them, over and over again. God demonstrates His commitment to the people He chose over and over again by faithfully speaking to them, leading them, and protecting them, even when they were at their most disobedient. Even in their exile(s), God maintained His promise to embrace the descendants of Israel (Jeremiah 31:36-37).
Isaiah called out the Israelites for their faithlessness and rebellion, promising judgement for their failures in the face of God’s faithful love and then, in the same breath, reminding them that God’s love for them would never end. In the first chapter of Isaiah, the prophet said,
Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the Lord; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on him…The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is sick (Isaiah 1:4-5).
And yet, in spite of their evil, God made a promise. His steadfast love would endure forever (Psalm 100:5). In the darkness, when hope was lost, God would send a Light. The enemy would be conquered, but first a child. A Son who would call himself the Light of the World whose salvation would illuminate the path back to God, not just for the Israelites, but for everyone who would believe.
His promise is sure. We wait in anticipation for a second coming. We do not know when; such knowledge is too lofty for us. We can live in peace, hope, and joy in the present while we wait for His love to be completed in us now, and in time, when Jesus returns as King and Lord. Then he will make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Resources
“CSB Bible.” CSB Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, https://csbible.com/.
BibleProject. “Session 7: Rise of the Messiah.” Classroom: Rise of the Messiah, BibleProject, https://bibleproject.com/classroom/rise-of-the-messiah/sessions/7. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Edited by Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, Comfort Print ed., Zondervan, 2019.
Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.
(Revelation 22:1-4)
Defaulting to Grace 