Love

We are entering the fourth week of Advent, and we pray that the pace of the season hasn't gotten overbearing for you and that the peace of Christ has been a comfort. This week, we'll light the fourth candle, the Candle of Love, also known as the Angel Candle, for the announcement that brought great joy. That announcement in love may be summarized in the following:
 
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17)
 
Through love, we can define Christmas. Love descended from heaven to be born of a virgin. Love lay in the scratchy hay of a manger, in a meager stall in Bethlehem. All of God's love was robed in the delicate skin of a baby and wrapped in swaddling clothes. This love is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Messiah and Ruler of All, yet He came not as a lion, but as a lamb. He came as an innocent baby whose purpose was to walk this earth in complete love and then give His life as an atonement for the sins of His children. Emmanuel, God with us, Love in the form of a man.