Love

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Opening Prayer

Light Advent Wreath

Matthew 22:37-39

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a]

38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]

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Offering

Junior church

Joys and concerns

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Apostels creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

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And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and buried;

on the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sets at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

for he shall come to judge the living and the dead.

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I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic** church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Love

Love is a huge concept that can be understood and experienced in many different ways. it covers the range of emotions, attitudes, and behaviors, and it’s meaning can be different across cultures, and people.

when we look at emotional attachment: it is a deep emotional attachment between people. This can be feelings of affection, care, warmth, and a sense of security. God allows us to have this kind of love for one another. but it is not guaranteed. You see love can take on many different forms. it is not limited to romantic relationships. it can be expressed through friendships, family bonds, and even compassion for humanity. We as humans tend, too through the word love around like a ball. we through it out there in our common everyday language. Now don’t get me wrong, if you here me say I love my christian family meaning all of you. I truly mean I love you as Christians but with no romantic intended under tones. You see we as humans tend to get all caught up in love meaning only romantic emotions but we will cover other meanings for love today which God wants us to share and experience through our life on earth. As Jesus commands us to love one another in

John 13:34-35

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So you see Jesus charges us to love one another as he has loved us. and when we look at the love He has for us we can break it down to understand what he intends.

Compassion and Empathy

is where I feel God shows us how to love others even when we find it hard to. This is the kind of love that is related to genuine concern for the well being of others. This involves understanding and empathizing with their feelings experiences and needs. You may not be able to relate or even understand what they need or even how they think. But it is clear God wants is to care for people where they are and not judge them that’s his job. This brings us to

Unconditional Acceptance

This is the kind of true love which is accepting someone for who they are, flaws and all with out judgement. Jesus does this with us. He does not tell us we are to come to him pure and holy. He wants us from where we are and he accepts us where we are. We will want to change when we come from our mess and experience his love. listen to this story which is an example of how Gods love is for us.

Nothing Can Separate

From her bedroom window, Rebecca eyed the children playing in the snow enviously. How she longed to play with them! “Now, Rebecca,” she remembered her father telling her that morning. “You can’t play in the snow today.”

“Why not, Father?” Rebecca had asked. Every day, the neighborhood children gathered at a park just behind Rebecca’s house.

“Just trust me, Rebecca. It’s not what’s best for you today,” her father had replied.

At the time, Rebecca had responded by kissing her father on his cheek and assuring him that she would stay inside and read. But now she was having second thoughts.

It is beautiful outside, she thought to herself. It was true: the sun was shining brilliantly. Why wouldn’t her father let her go play?

Why should she have to miss out on all the fun? When a snowball exploded just outside her window, Rebecca decided she couldn’t stand it any longer. She simply had to go join the others! Leaving her book on the table, Rebecca slipped outside. She tried to tell herself she was having a good time, but all the while her heart felt uncomfortable. She kept looking this way and that, fearful least her father see her. After a few hours, Rebecca finally said her goodbyes and headed back towards the house. She wanted to be safely lodged in her room before her father came home.

Intent on getting to her room as quickly as possible, Rebecca didn’t see the mitten someone had left on the stairs until her foot slipped on it. Next thing she knew, she had fallen several stairs. To her horror, she noticed that she had hit her father’s favorite picture when she fell! A huge gash ran along the front of the picture.

Normally, Rebecca would have hurried immediately to her father after such a fall so he could doctor her up and make her feel better. But not this time. How could she face her father right now? She had disobeyed him and ruined his favorite picture! Biting her lips to keep from crying out, Rebecca grabbed the ruined picture and hobbled to her room.

For the remainder of the day, she lay in agony. Her body ached from the bruises she received on her fall. But her heart—ah, that ached worse of all! She felt certain that her father would no longer love her. She had messed up in the past, but surely this time she had gone too far! He would probably never want to speak to her again. How could he still love her?

She sobbed uncontrollably on her pillow. She had always been close to her father. They had played and studied together. They had laughed and cried together. But not now. No, she felt certain that all those wonderful times were over.

Who knows how long she would have lain thus had not her nanny come in to check on her. Rebecca’s nanny had a way about her of finding out exactly what was wrong and offering solid, wise counsel. Tonight was no exception.

“Rebecca, dear,” she said firmly, but gently. “You’ve been very wrong. But you must not continue in your wrongness by sitting here. You must go to your father with the broken picture in your hand and tell him everything.”

“Oh, but I can’t! I’m not worthy of His love!” Rebecca sobbed.

Her nanny sighed patiently. “You were no more worthy of it yesterday than today, child. Your father loves you because you’re his daughter, not because of anything you do or don’t do. Hasn’t he told you everyday since you were a little girl, ‘I love you’? Do you doubt his word? Do you really think his love is dependent on you?”

Doubt his word—that was an angle Rebecca had never thought of before. Maybe she should go see her father…yes, she must go see him, for if she didn’t, she’d never be able to rest.

So, still shaking and trembling with fear, Rebecca limped down the hall to the living room. She paused at the doorway. Her father was sitting in his favorite chair, just like he did every night. He looked up when she entered, and a smile radiating with love illuminated his face.

“Ah, you’ve come at last! I’ve been waiting. Come, sit here on my lap.” As he spoke, he opened his arms widely. Rebecca couldn’t stand it. “Oh, you don’t understand, Father! You can’t love me anymore. I’ve been terribly wicked and-” Rebecca held up the picture frame for her father to see.

“I know, Rebecca—more than you think. I watched you go outside. I watched you fall and hit the picture frame. I saw it all.”

“You did?” Rebecca was flabbergasted. “But-but weren’t you at work?”

Her father shook his head. “I took the day off to spend some special time with you. That’s why I told you not to go outside to play. Ever since I saw you fall, I’ve been longing for you to come to me so I could bandage your wounds and help you. Won’t you come now?”

Rebecca could hardly believe her ears. Her father had planned to spend the afternoon with her…and she had missed it. Oh, what foolishness! Yet her father knew it all…and loved her anyway. Could it be? “But, Father, how can you love me now?”

Rebecca’s father smiled a smile she would never forget. “Rebecca, dear, I loved you before you were born. You’re my daughter. And I will always love you. Although sometimes your actions will result in consequences you could have avoided, nothing can ever separate you from my love. Now won’t you come and let me help you with those bruises?” in

Romans 8:35-37

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Let us remember this joyous season that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, He came to give us unconditional LOVE

Merry Christmas

AMEN

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