“Love”
Pastor David Moore
Old Testament reading: Isaiah 58:6-9
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
The 4th Sunday of Advent. We have looked at Hope, Peace, and Joy. Today we will look at Love.
New Testament reading: Luke 2:21-35
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Today, the theme of Love is centered around Simeon, a man who loved God and was promised to see the Messiah before he died. Through this interaction of Simeon seeing the Savior, God determines that he is for all to experience Christ’s love for us and it occurs to all on an individual basis. ~D. Moore
God is love. He loves us and He pursues us with that love. ~Jeanette Duby
Jesus Loves Me
God loves us each individually.
Christ would have died for you, for me.
It is not that God loves the world generically.
He loves each one personally.
Acts 17:26-27
From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
God’s love is for all people, however, there is a conditional component involving a human response on an individual basis to God’s calling. ~D. Moore
John 14:23-24
If anyone loves me, they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to him and make our home with them. The one who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Simeon was loved by God. God loves you. God wants all to come to Him and find themselves in His love. I hope this Christmas season sparks Christ’s love in you that you may see the needs of others in sharing that special relationship with Christ. ~D. Moore
God bless – prepare your heart and mind for the miracle of the Christ child in your life. ~D. Moore