God Comes to Us as Love

How does God come to us?

Advent refers to the four Sundays preceeding Christmas.

The word advent means “to come” or “to arrive.”

Advent can refer to Jesus’ birth or to His second coming. Advent is a season of anticipation and preparation.

This series looks at different parts of the Christmas story and asks, “How does God come to us?”

As we look at the story from different angles, we see different facets of God’s character.

We can say, “Immanuel - God is with us,” when each of these begins to manifest in us!

The Magi: an example of what it means to love

When Matthew tells the story of Jesus birth, it involves Magi from the East following a star to Bethlehem where Jesus was born and is now an infant or perhaps a toddler in His parent’s home. It’s customary even today, for mothers in some countries like India to return to their home village when a child, specially the first child, is born. Her parents will help with the child’s care and teach the new mother the skills of nurture. Joseph and Mary are already in their ancestral town for the census, it makes sense that they would stay for a while.

Bible scholars say that Matthew wrote primarily to a Jewish audience and that he was concerned to demonstrate that Jesus rightful place as Messiah and King of Israel was attested by sources outside of His Jewish followers. This event would demonstrate with both glorious honor and with tragic loss, that Jesus was acknowledged to be the rightful heir of David by both internal and external sources. But first there was to be a heavenly sign.

Stars are a beautiful spectacle in the nighttime sky, but they are also a kind of ancient clock with a three dimensional face and hundreds, even thousands of hands. Watch the movement in the sky and notice how the convergence of planets in the heavens indicated the time at which significant events on earth will take place. In ancient times Magi studied the archives of notations and writings of various rulers and they watched the stars to get a sense of their position in time and space.

Today we have scholars who study history, sociology and current events to predict the trajectory of future events. They are hired to advise the leaders of companies and of countries as to where they should allocate their resources and where to develop strategic partnerships to ensure future success. This is what wise men do, they study and learn, they watch and observe, they predict and advise.

Today we have scholars who study history, sociology and current events to predict the trajectory of future events. They are hired to advise the leaders of companies and of countries as to where they should allocate their resources and where to develop strategic partnerships to ensure future success. This is what Magi do, they study and learn, they watch and observe, they predict and advise.

It is historically noted that when Alexander the Great was born, a new star appeared in the sky. Alexander when on to conquer and unite Europe and the Middle East, paving the way for Rome to set up the first worldwide kingdom since Babel. When the next star appeared it was duly noted that the same was about to happen again. The star appeared on the western horizon, across the Arabian desert at the crossroads of the fertile crescent.

At the Eastern end of the ancient trade route was the Indus River Valley, the source of spices, jewels and mystical knowledge. Part of the kingdom once governed by the Jewish prophet Daniel, at that time a Satrap of Persia. The ancient texts of Israel would have been part of his library which are now contained in the archives. From the scroll of the prophet Micah they would read:

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The trip to Bethlehem would take weeks, the preparation, probably months more. Research takes time. Bureaucracy takes even more time. Letters would need to be written providing access to local officials. Such a delegation will not go unnoticed. Will they be suspected as spies? What reason will they give for their visit? What would they need to bring? Would they need an army escort or would they some form of tribute? If they are bringing gifts for the local officials, then what about the newborn king?

Gold is an obvious choice. It’s the standard for international currency and it is symbolically the possession of kings. Frankincense represents worship. Even today in oriental languages, the word for worship literally means to burn incense. The fragrant smoke is like a visible prayer ascending to heaven. Myrrh is a more common item, but a most useful one. It is a natural antiseptic, a cure for many common ailments and wounds. It even reduces inflammation.

After the long journey to Bethlehem, with the obligatory diplomatic visit to the royal palace, they found Mary, Joseph and Jesus in an ordinary house. How did they find him? Well, you ask around for one thing? Everybody knows everyone else’s business. And a story like Mary and Joseph’s would have been the talk of the town (not necessarily in a good way). Imagine what people would have said after the entourage left town.

Well, apparently, they didn’t say anything. Because Herod was furious that no one informed him as to the identity of this prophesied king. The whole town was punished with a slaughter of infants. It was not unusual for a dictator to behave in this way. And it is not unusual to see people stick together, being loyal to death. What is unusual is that people would do that for someone rumored to be illegitimate, whose parents were not even received into a house so that they had to give birth in a stable.

It’s one thing to pay homage, it’s another thing to worship. It’s one thing to predict the rise of a new ruler, i’ts another thing to travel to a small town to visit a nondescript house to tell it’s occupants that the stars have aligned to indicate that their infant son is next great leader to both conquer and to unite the world. It’s one thing to observe family customs and loyalty, it’s another thing to protect a life with the lives of others. But there comes a time when you recognize that you are in a time like no other and you are in the presence of a person like no other, and you give whatever it takes in recognition of that fact.

What is Love?

God comes to us as love, but what is love?

Love is one of those words that gets used a lot, but you get the feeling that it’s “inconceivable” - the word doesn’t meant what you think it means.

Last we talked about how joy is a feeling, but if it’s only a feeling, it falls short of the joy that God’s Word commands us to have.

Love is like that, we mostly think of love as a feeling. But love is much more than a feeling.

Parts of our English language come from Old Norse - so the Danish language has words from which our English words are derived.

“Lov” in Danish means law. It also means to make a pledge or to pledge one’s loyalty. Worship in the church is called “lovsang”.

Love is a commitment.

Love is also an action. Specifically, an unselfish action is said to be a demonstration of love.

In Hebrew, one of the words that is sometimes translated as love is “hesed.”

This word does not really have an equivalent in English.

Some translations use “loving-kindness.” Others use “covenant faithfulness.”

This word describes how God loves unconditionally and lays the foundation for the New Testament “Agape.”

Let’s review how God comes to us:

Hope is confidence in the goodness of God.

Peace is the experience of the goodness of God.

Joy is our internal response to the goodness of God.

Love is our active response to the goodness of God.

What does love look like?

We will use some metaphors to help us.

The gifts of the Magi will provide a structure for us.

Love is light, love is worship and love is healing.

Love is light

John 1:1–14 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1–8 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

Gold is brilliant. It reflects light so perfectly that it seems to radiate light.

The first gift is gold. There may be rarer substances on earth, but none has retained it’s value over the centuries like gold.

It catches the eye with it’s brilliance so that kings have adorned their palaces with it.

The second temple was overlaid with gold, it was said that pilgrims on their way to the temple could see it shining in the distance from miles away.

God is brilliant! God is light and God is love. Light and love radiate from who He is.

When God created the world, He first created light and He separated the light from the darkness.

Light and life are used interchangeably in verse 4.

Life and light radiate from God’s being.

Another thing that comes from God’s being is love.

1 John 4:8 ESV

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

So light, life and love are all descriptive of the goodness of God.

We are meant to bear witness, to reflect God’s love and light.

We are created in God’s image.

We are meant to reflect the light, life and love of God.

Jesus is the light. He is the full representation of God’s character and person.

John the baptist was said to be a witness to the light. He reflected something of God’s character, but he pointed to the true light- Jesus.

Love is light. When we love we show the world who God is by reflecting His character.

Love is worship

We generally associate burning incense with hippies, new-age and exotic restaurants, but most places in the world it’s associated with worship.

When I was in Vietnam I was told that people “make incense” to their ancestors. That means they worship or revere them. They will stand in front of a shrine, a picture or an idol, and hold the burning incense between their hands. Then they imagine their thoughts ascending like the smoke to let their ancestors know that they are being honored.

The purpose of the frankincense was to show their love and devotion.

John 1:9–14 ESV

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The wise men brought frankincense. It’s a resin that is usually burned to create a fragrant smoke.

We generally associate burning incense with hippies, new-age and exotic restaurants, but most places in the world it’s associated with worship.

When I was in Vietnam I was told that people “make incense” to their ancestors. That means they worship or revere them. They will stand in front of a shrine, a picture or an idol, and hold the burning incense between their hands. Then they imagine their thoughts ascending like the smoke to let their ancestors know that they are being honored.

The purpose of the frankincense was to show their love and devotion.

We worship what we love.

What do you love? Food? Sports? Art? Recreation? Comfort?

In his book, “Desiring the Kingdom,” James K.A. Smith writes that we worship what we love. If someone came into your house, what would they say that you love? If they cam into your room and saw what you have displayed, what would they think that you worship?

Can people say, just from watching you that you love God? What would give them that indication?

How often does God occupy your thoughts? What do you think about when you think about God?

The problem is that many of us would say that we worship God, but we don’t really even know God? At least not in the way that we know those we love.

To know God is to love God and to worship Him.

John says that God’s own people did not know Him or recognize Him when He came to earth.

How do you learn to know somebody? Do you spend time with them? Do you talk with them? Do you observe what they do?

How do you spend time with God? How often do you talk with God?

Is your worship just on Sundays or is it a daily thing?

We know God when we receive Him.

John distinguishes between those who receive Jesus and those who don’t

For those of us who grew up in evangelical churches are so used to that language that we might think of it as someone who went forward in a meeting or said the sinners prayer.

While those are good things, the point is to have a living relationship with Jesus.

If you spent as much time and attention on your wife or your girlfriend as you do with Jesus would she still be your wife or your girlfriend?

To those who receive Christ you become God’s son or God’s daughter. That speaks of a close personal relationship.

Love is healing

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The wise men also brought myrrh. You could say they were into essential oils.

Google it and you will see that myrrh is said to cure many ailments.

As a gift it would have been seen as a blessing for long life and health.

I use myrrh as an analogy to say that love is also healing.

God loved us before we loved Him.

1 John 4:10 NLT

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

If we needed to measure up to God’s standard before we could be saved, none of us would make it.

God took the initiative. God loved us first.

Our love for God is a response to His love for us.

But how does that relate to healing?

God’s love provides an environment for healing.

It has been

It’s in the context of God’s unconditional love and acceptance that our brokenness begins to be healed.

It has been noted that trauma or emotional damage can be healed in the context of a loving and supportive community.

All of us are damaged by sin. We could not provide that loving community for others unless God first loved us.

1 John 4:11 NLT

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

If God comes to us as love, we should go out of love to others.

Christmas time is a wonderful time for families to be together, but not everyone in our family is easy to be with.

Its a wonderful time for friends and neighbors to share the joy of the season. But not everyone in your neighborhood is a joy to be around.

Christmas is a time of loneliness for some people.

For some people i’ts a season of grief and the pain of lost relationships.

What if this Christmas we were to love someone, not because they have earned it, but because Christ loved us.

That would be a fitting response to what God has done for us.

Reflection

As we light the fourth candle of advent, think about the wise men who came from afar to bring gifts to the holy child. What gift would you bring Him?

They brought gold

They brought brilliant gold. You can reflect God’s light and God’s love and you grow into the person God made you to be.

Joy is not the absence of sorrow. You can admit that things are not all right. But also know that God is working to make things right.

They brought incense. You can worship God by walking in a living relationship with God; by loving God with all your heart, mind soul and strength.

Don’t keep your joy to yourself. Express your joy in praise to God. And do something this week that will bring you and someone else joy.

They brought myrrh. You can allow God’s love to heal you from the inside out. Then you can be a healing presence for others.