My family and I had the most amazing opportunity to get away to a no cell phone reception, solar powered, magnificent farm house for a week in the North of our country, and even though I had written most of this final advent post before we left, I was having way too much fun resting and relaxing to have to walk down the driveway on Sunday to find signal to upload it! So here it is! And as the saying goes “rather late than never.”
As I was reading through the book of Colossians a month ago, I ended up camping out on 3 verses. At that time, I was praying and dreaming about sharing something on my blog space for the season of advent and then the Holy Spirit dropped these 4 terms from these 3 verses onto my heart. They have encouraged and inspired me and I hope they do the same for you as we take this short advent journey together.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12 – 14 // The Bible
Verse 14 is beautiful! “And above all these, put on love” It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13 verse 13 which reads, ”but the greatest of these is love.”
A couple weeks ago my daughter asked my husband and I to describe and explain what love is. It made me stop and think and I needed some time before I could fully answer her. And it’s something I have pondered ever since.
The Bible gives us a wonderful definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 – “Love is Patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
WOW!!! I don’t know what you think or feel as you read that list of what love is and is not, but for me it’s challengingly beautiful. Imagine a world where we loved each other, I mean actually loved each other!
Christmas is a wonderful time for us to put into practice some of these things. It’s a time to put aside our own agendas, to not be rude or think we’re smart by belittling other family members. It’s a time to be patient and kind and to rejoice in the truth. It’s a time to bear with one another, to believe in one another and to hope with and for one another. Christmas is a time to love.
There’s a delightful song with this title written by Ernie & Debby Kerner Rettino, and it goes like this:
Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love. x2
We often start to worry
And people get upset
If things don’t go alright on Christmas day.
What we should remember
In all the push and shove
Is Christmas is a time to love.Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love. x2Maybe things don’t sound right
By Ernie & Debby Kerner Rettino
Or look the way they should
And maybe they’re not perfectly in tune.
It really doesn’t matter
Lets keep our eyes above
Cos’ Christmas is a time to love.
Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love.
John 15:13 states: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” So this Christmas, let’s put on love, not because we have to, but because we are his chosen ones, dearly loved by Jesus. This Christmas is going to look different, but let’s love and choose to lay down our life for our friends and family this year. Let’s wear our masks, let’s show grace and understanding, let’s be patient and kind. Let’s bear with one another, believe in one another and hope with and for one another.
Let’s not let the cares of this world and the worries of this life bog us down. Let’s keep our eyes above, as the lyrics of the song go, and let’s celebrate the REAL reason for this season. Jesus, born into a humble stable and laid into a lowly manger, came as fully God and fully man to write the greatest love story and greatest story of redemption ever been told. He loves you. He cares for you. Come to him this Christmas. Come just as you are. Let his love envelop, overwhelm and invade your heart, mind and life this Christmas. It’s never too late.
Hope you all had a wonderful 4th Sunday of advent and thank you for joining me on this journey.
A very Merry Christmas from me and my family to you and yours!
xxx
hope of heart 