Christmas Love

Yesterday Matt and I got to talk with friends who shared with us about Paul Miller's book, Love Walked Among Us.  I haven't read it yet, but the summary I heard is etched into my heart....  Here's what Miller (apparently) wrote about the way Jesus lived love:

Christ was always free to say yes, 
always free to say no, 
and he always left room for divine interruption.  

No obligations, no fear of man, no lust for approval and applause?  No deadly iron-jawed insistence on My Plan Right Now?  Man, if I could live like that!  What a beautiful, whole, helpful, happy life!  I sure want to strive after that...

But the good news is that Jesus isn't only a good example for me to strive to be like.  Mohammed, Buddha, Jesus, and thousands of others were good examples to emulate.  Jesus goes well beyond "good teacher" though;  He is Savior.  He lived Love for us, forgiving our failures, fixing our brokenness, cleansing our infected hearts, filling us with his wholeness.

At Christmas, we marvel and worship that our triune God- He who IS love within Himself- would take on flesh to demonstrate love in our broken world to us who are slaves to sin and death.  And to think of this eternally thriving love creating us to know him, making us to be satisfied and set free by His love?  Consider these words from Ann Voskamp  (from her Advent devotional that's free from her site.... oh so sweet.)  

We alone were formed by a huddle of hearts — Let us make human beings.

The three persons of the Trinity, Father God, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, they gathered close together to imagine us and God in three persons, all full of affection, knelt down and kissed warm life into us with the breath of His love.

And we are made of the dust of this earth and we are made of the happiness of heaven and we are flesh and we are spirit and we are of two worlds longing for the home of His world. The authority of God made all of creation. But it was the a ffe c t i o n of God that made all of His children. (Prov. 8:31)

We were made by Love! For love! Made in the image of God to look like His love! The Christmas story is a love story, the whole blue marble of the world spinning on the axis of His love... Could anything be better?

Yes!  Could there be anything better than this magnificent love?  Rescue from slavery and death, freedom for life,  and eternity ahead full of soul satisfaction and pleasures at His right hand.....  

Christians, we have every reason for bold, confident hope and great celebration!  May this Advent season be full of joy, swelling your hearts with hope and expectation of the coming King.