The Twenty Six Days of Advent - "B" - "Because of Love"

December 1, 2013 “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) The skeptics always want proof of Jesus’ magnanimous love and His complete sacrifice for mankind. Without faith in the fact that Jesus was born, lived and died for “who-so-ever will,” nothing can convince the skeptics. What proves Jesus’ love, humility and mercy was sufficient for our salvation? First of all, because “He stooped so low” to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation. Only God could love this much! Some glibly talk about the sacrifice of Jesus as if He was just inconvenienced for a while here on earth. Have you ever meditated on the condescension of the God of the universe Who guided the stars and galaxies through the skies He had created; Who ruled over myriads of angels (some of them fallen); and Who prearranged the “plan of salvation” for His one creation that was created in His image. He sat on a throne, He walked on golden streets, He was all knowing, all wise, ever-present and all powerful – He left all this because He loved us and wanted to have fellowship with us. He came to the earth He had created, He became a human like He had created, experiencing an immaculate conception, gestation, and birth in a dirty, smelly cave, which served as a stable which housed the farm animals He had created. This tiny baby, Creator of all, was born of a very common mother, and into a hostile world of sinners who were irreconciled to God, His Father. When He was a small child He was the object of a search to kill Him by a jealous king, because He was also a King Who had stooped so low as to be born into a world of enemies who hated Him; all this heartache because He loved us. Another truth that proves His love is that He lived with the undeserved hatred, rejection, betrayal and eventually death as a criminal on the cross – because He loved us so much and wanted us to be reconciled to the Father and have eternal life in heaven with Him and the Father. He wanted us to sit on the throne with Him at His right hand, as He sits at the right hand of the Father – because He loves us. Actions speak louder than words – He told us, then because He loved us, He stretched out His hands to be nailed to a cross to show us. Because He Lives Gloria and Bill Gaither God sent His Son – they called Him Jesus, He came to love, heal and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives.