FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2022 - LOVE WINS

 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2022 - LOVE WINS

This week I’ve looked at Christmas songs (including “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas”, and “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer”).

Today I want to look at a rarely heard hymn song (that interests me) - Love Came Down at Christmas.

Love Came Down At Christmas - YouTube

Love came down at Christmas,

love all lovely, Love divine;

Love was born at Christmas;

Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, Love divine;

worship we our Jesus,

but wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;

love be yours and love be mine;

love to God and others,

love for plea and gift and sign.

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) came from a family steeped in the arts. The author of three collections of mostly religious poetry and four devotional books, she suffered from poor health from age 16. Her deep faith is thought to be partially due to the solace she found in writing.

To me, my faith is based on LOVE.  One of the most common Christmas verses is “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

GOD LOVES ME.  

A lot of theology seems to be focused on groups, but Christianity in its basics (at least to me) focuses on individuals - and LOVE.  (Some aspects of other religions do this too - like Buddhism)

LOVE the Lord Your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and LOVE your neighbor as yourself.

GOD IS LOVE.  And, in this song, “LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS” - God Loved me (us) so much that He (She, It, The Force, Ahh) did the ultimate sending us the infinite love of GOD - and not just as a concept - but as a PERSON - and not just a PERSON - but a person just like me - born to a mother and a father (or step-father), learning to walk and run (wouldn’t it have been great to see Jesus take his first steps).  And, Mary and Joseph (and probably others) changed his diapers - because he WAS FULLY GOD AND FULLY HUMAN. 

Yes, LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS

The third verse of this song says: 

“Love shall be our token;

love be yours and love be mine;

love to God and others,

love for plea and gift and sign.”

LOVE is my token.  I will be known by my LOVE (and your LOVE).

“ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.  Love never fails”  From 1Corinthians 13

Did you see that last statement - LOVE NEVER FAILS?  Love doesn’t fail (or lose) - LOVE WINS ALWAYS!!!  

“And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

This is a LOVE that is so far beyond my comprehension - so infinite.  God is LOVE, God is INFINITE, God is PERFECT - and - God LOVES ME.  

The first part of 1 Corinthians 13 says: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

The HEART of everything is LOVE - without love (agape love), we are phonies.  

We can’t be judgmental and not forgiving.  We MUST be loving.  Yes, Jesus came to reclaim sinners.  He did have some positive interactions with Pharisees (and some negative ones) he also came for the lame, the blind, the lost sheep, the prostitutes, and tax collectors.

So, in this season of love - advent and Christmas - “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everybody that loves is born of God” (1 John 4:7)

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS
KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, DECEMBER 9, 2022