As we approach the celebration of Christmas, we are invited into an ongoing story woven through and through with the golden thread of God’s love—a love that is steadfast, transformative, unrelenting and utterly surprising. It’s a love that whispers through the prophet Micah, resounds in Mary’s Magnificat, takes on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and continues in the Spirit animated life of the church.
Micah speaks of Bethlehem, a small, insignificant village, where God’s ruler will arise.
This ruler is not the kind of king the world expects. He is a shepherd-king, whose reign is marked not by domination but by care, tenderness, and peace. It is love—God’s enduring, covenantal love—that calls forth this ruler to gather, guide, and protect His people. This is the heart of God’s kingdom: a love that casts out fear, lifts up the lowly, and restores the broken.
We see this love so vividly in Mary.
When we turn to Luke’s Gospel We find her carrying the Messiah in her womb, not as a queen in a palace but as a humble young woman, overshadowed by God’s Spirit and full of God’s words. Her response to God’s astonishing plan is not self-centered ambition but a song of love, trust, and wonder. The Magnificat is a declaration of how love works in God’s economy: it scatters the proud, exalts the humble, fills the hungry, and remembers the forgotten. This is no abstract love; it is active, justice-bringing, world-transforming, hope-filled love. This is the love we so desperately long for and the kind of love that arrives in Jesus.
But how did God accomplish this? Hebrews 10 helps give shape to that answer.
Jesus enters the world not merely to make more sacrifices but to, in love, offer the final sacrifice of himself. His redemptive mission is not about appeasement but about reconciliation and peace—bringing humanity and creation into harmony with God. The love of God is not a distant ideal; it is enfleshed in Jesus, who comes to do God’s will. His sacrifice is the ultimate act of love, offered to heal, restore, and make all things new.
And then there is the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1.
It is a scene overflowing with love and joy. Elizabeth’s child leaps in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice, a beautiful testament to the way God’s love stirs the hearts of all who encounter it. Mary and Elizabeth’s embrace is more than a familial greeting; it is a celebration of God’s loving purposes unfolding before their eyes. Their joy is born out of love—love for God, for one another, and for the promises that are now being fulfilled.
So what does this mean for us today?
It means that God’s love, which called forth a ruler from Bethlehem, still works through the small, humble, and unexpected. It means that God’s love, which filled Mary’s heart with joy and Elizabeth’s home with laughter, is still filling the world with signs of hope and renewal. And it means that the God whose love sent His Son to dwell among us calls us to embody that same love in our own lives.
Advent is a season of waiting, yes, but not passive waiting. It is active, hope full, love-filled anticipation. Like Mary, we are called to say, “Let it be to me according to your word,” trusting in God’s love to carry us forward. Like Elizabeth, we are called to rejoice in God’s unfolding plan, letting love shape our response. And like the shepherd-king foretold by Micah, we are called to bring peace to a world that desperately needs the love of Christ.
This Advent, may we embrace the joy of God’s love, the humility of Bethlehem’s king, and the hope of God’s promises fulfilled. And may we go forth to live out this love, bringing light and peace to a weary world.
Missio and friends, May we walk away from this space full assured of God’s love for us and by the power of the Spirit offer the undaunted hope, ultimate peace, glorious joy, and unrelenting love of God. .
Questions for Reflection
Reflection on God’s Love: God’s love is called the golden thread which weaves his redemptive mission together.
How does the idea of God’s love being “steadfast, transformative, unrelenting, and utterly surprising” challenge or expand your understanding of love in your own life?
How have you experienced his love in 2024?
What are practical ways that you can demonstrate that love to those in your immediate community? (Family, MC, Neighbors, etc..)
Humility: Mary and Bethlehem are highlighted as humble vessels through which God’s love and plan unfold.
What role does humility play in allowing God’s work to show up in and through us today?
What does it look like when an MC, or disciple of Jesus struggles with humility?
What have you learned in Matthew about humility of Jesus and how can that shape your life over the next few weeks?
Active Waiting: Advent is a time of active, hopeful, love-filled anticipation.
What practical steps can you take during this season to embody God’s love and bring peace and joy to those around you as you await his return?
Maybe more specifically, As you look into 2025, what does active waiting look like this year? (BLESS Rhythms)
Scripture Readings: Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55 (or Psalm 80:1-7); Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)