John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [NRSV]
I read that the word “love” appears in the Gospel of John more often than in the other three gospels combined. We may be familiar with many stories of Jesus showing love during His life as he taught, fed, healed and prayed for people. We’ve learned our lesson well that the complete expression of that love is the death of Jesus followed by His resurrection. That’s the ending.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus during this time of Advent as the embodiment of God’s love for His creation. It almost seemed too simple to even try to write about until another thought entered my mind. Jesus was always present with God. He wasn’t a Heavenly go-fer who did God’s bidding. He was God. That certainly deals with the idea of simple doesn’t it? Jesus knew full well what becoming human meant for Him. He knew His future right from the get-go. We begin this annual celebration knowing the end of the story, Jesus was willing to surrender His own life for us. The beginning of the “love” story is the part that makes this Advent a reality. Jesus loved us enough to enter our world as a helpless infant. His own future on earth began with His willingness to trust that the humanity He entered would become a part of building His life on earth so that His love would become their salvation.
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