WHEN LOVE CAME DOWN
A message for Christmas from PASTOR NORAH CHILAKA of The Redeemed Christian Church of God
LOVE in its real sense means giving, sharing and receiving. John 3 verse 16: ‘But who can adequately satisfy the longing soul of man or who can completely meet all the needs of a mortal man?’ That being said, it takes real love to show God’s intention for mankind.
For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, Jesus Christ the Saviour. Have you given Him a chance in your heart?
On the topic of sharing, giving and receiving, Christmas is a significant period in my family life; a time we sit at the table in close proximity to one another, with so much to eat, drink and talk about, it often seems that there isn’t enough time as the years go by. We reflect on the highs and lows of the year, the pains and joys, sharing memories and pulling Christmas crackers; serving each other the way Jesus served His disciples at the Passover table. But there at the table, we can feel tangible love, connection.
We talk about the love of God and His show of it, we go expectantly from the dinner table to opening our presents, and oh the laughs and discussions on what we received from each other. We express our joy and maybe disappointments at the gifts received. For my Family, that is Christmas, when love came down. But Christmas would not be complete without reflecting on the One who brought love down to Earth. As it were, when the angel, Gabriel, gave the young Mary a salutation: “Hail Mary, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb”.
In fear and trembling she wondered how this could be, but the holy angel told her not to be afraid because the child shall be of the Holy Ghost and He shall be the Saviour like no other because in much love, He shall save the people from sin and He shall be with them ‘Immanuel’.
During the period of waiting, Mary visited her pregnant cousin Elizabeth to share her bundle of love she was carrying. On seeing Mary, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy followed by her proclamation: “The mother of my Lord”.
In due time, Love came down in Bethlehem of Judea, despite no room in the inn. He was born in a manger and the beauty and love were not diminished but were evident for the world to see. The wise men saw the star and they took on a journey to find Him and when they saw Him wrapped up in a swaddling cloth, they gave and shared their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Dear reader, what have you been expecting at Christmas? Rather, what would you give at Christmas? Jesus our saviour was born at Christmas as the bible story was told, He is still with us (Immanuel) and that was when real love came down. The greatest expression of God’s love is Jesus born in Bethlehem at Christmas.