December 22 Advent: Love That Comes Near
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Love is often spoken of as a feeling, something warm and internal. Scripture, however, consistently portrays love as something God does. John 3:16 does not begin with how God felt about the world, but with what God gave. God’s love moves outward. It crosses distance. It comes near.
Advent reminds us that divine love is not abstract or sentimental. God did not love the world from afar; he entered it. He took on flesh, vulnerability, and limitation. In Jesus, love is no longer an idea but a person who can be touched, rejected, and ultimately crucified. This is the kind of love that risks itself for the sake of the beloved.
As we approach Christmas, it is tempting to reduce love to kindness, generosity, or good intentions. While these matter, Advent calls us deeper. Love is costly. It requires giving something real: time, attention, comfort, pride, or resources. God’s love for the world was not efficient or safe; it was sacrificial.
This season invites us to ask hard but honest questions. Where is love calling me to move closer rather than withdraw? Love, as revealed in Christ, is not compelled by worthiness but by grace. Jesus came not because the world was lovable, but because God is love.
As we wait for Christmas Day, let us receive again the truth that we are loved not at our best but in our need.
Having received that love, may we allow it to take shape in how we give ourselves to others.
December 23 Advent: Love That Listens
James 1:19
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
Listening is one of the most underestimated expressions of love. In a world full of noise, opinions, and urgency, to truly listen to another person is an act of humility and care. James reminds us that love is patient enough to pause, attentive enough to hear, and restrained enough to resist immediate judgment.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus demonstrates this kind of love. He listens to desperate cries on crowded streets, to confused disciples who ask the wrong questions, and to those whose stories others are too busy to hear. Jesus’ love is marked not by interruption, but by attention.
Many of us listen in order to respond, correct, or fix. But Advent love listens simply to understand. It honors the dignity of another person by allowing their experience to exist without being reshaped or rushed. This kind of listening creates space for healing, trust, and connection.
As Christmas approaches, our schedules tighten and our patience wears thin. Ironically, this is often when people most need to be heard. Love invites us to slow down, to set aside distractions, and to offer the gift of presence. This kind of love costs time and emotional energy, but it reflects the heart of Christ, who never treats people as interruptions.
Consider today where listening might be an expression of love you are being invited into. Who in your life needs your attention more than your advice? In listening well, we echo the love of a God who hears the cries of his people and comes near.
December 24 Advent: Love That Forgives
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
On Christmas Eve, we stand on the threshold of the incarnation: the moment when God enters a broken world in love. It is no accident that forgiveness sits at the heart of this story. Jesus was born into human conflict, misunderstanding, and injustice, and he came not to condemn the world, but to redeem it.
Forgiveness is one of the most difficult expressions of love. It requires releasing the right to hold another person’s wrong over them. Forgiveness does not deny pain, excuse harm, or demand reconciliation at any cost. Rather, it entrusts justice to God and refuses to let bitterness have the final word.
Paul roots forgiveness in memory: “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Advent reminds us that we are people who live downstream from mercy. Christ came not because we were innocent, but because we were loved. To forgive is to participate in that same economy of grace.
On this night of anticipation, many of us carry unresolved hurts. Some are fresh, others long-standing. Love does not mean pretending they do not exist. It means placing them into God’s hands and choosing freedom over resentment. Forgiveness is often quiet and unseen, but it is powerful. It loosens the grip of the past and prepares our hearts to receive Christ anew.
As we await Christmas morning, consider what it might look like to release someone from a debt they owe you, even if only before God. In doing so, we mirror the love that comes to us in Christ.
December 25 Advent: Love Made Flesh
John 1:14
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Christmas Day centers on a concrete claim of the Christian faith: God chose to live among us. In Jesus, God entered ordinary human life, accepting limits, dependence, and vulnerability. Love did not remain distant or abstract. It took on a body.
The incarnation shows the generous character of Christ’s love. Jesus did not arrive demanding attention or recognition. From the beginning, his life was marked by giving. He gave his presence to those overlooked, his strength to those in need, his time to those who interrupted him, and his life to the world. This is love defined by generosity rather than self-protection.
John describes Jesus as coming “full of grace and truth.” Grace speaks to God’s free and undeserved giving. Truth speaks to God’s faithfulness and consistency. Together they reveal a love that stays present and dependable, even when giving is costly. On Christmas, God’s glory is revealed not through power or spectacle, but through nearness and self-giving.
To celebrate the incarnation is not only to receive this love, but to imitate it. Christ’s life sets a clear example for our own. We are called to give generously, to remain present, and to offer ourselves for the good of others in practical ways. Love becomes visible through actions that cost us something.
As you mark Christmas Day, give thanks for the God who chose to dwell with us. Then look for a simple, concrete way to reflect that same generous love.
December 26 Advent: Love That Makes Room
Romans 15:7
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
The day after Christmas often feels quieter, even anticlimactic. Yet it is precisely here that love’s work continues. Romans reminds us that the love we have received in Christ reshapes how we make room for others.
Acceptance is not agreement, and it is not approval of everything another person does. Acceptance is the decision to receive someone as they are, without demanding they earn their place. Christ’s love did not wait for us to be fixed before welcoming us. He welcomed us in or
This kind of love resists exclusion. It notices who is overlooked, ignored, or pushed to the margins. It asks who has been left out of the table and makes space. Love disrupts comfort zones and challenges unspoken hierarchies.
After the celebrations fade, Advent love continues its quiet work of hospitality. It creates communities where people belong before they behave, where dignity precedes usefulness. This love reflects the heart of Christ, who consistently moved toward those others avoided.
Today, consider where you are being invited to widen your circle. Who might need to be received rather than evaluated? In doing so, we mirror the love that has already made room for us.
December 27 Advent: Love That Remembers
1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Love does not only respond to need; it remembers grace. Encouragement is a form of love that names what God is already doing in someone else’s life. It reminds people that they are seen, valued, and not forgotten.
In the rush of life, we often assume people know how much they matter to us. Scripture invites us to say it out loud. Words have the power to strengthen weary hearts, restore hope, and affirm faithfulness that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Advent love looks backward with gratitude and forward with hope. It notices how God has worked through ordinary people and gives thanks for it. Encouragement is not flattery; it is truthful recognition of God’s grace at work in others.
As this week of love concludes, take time to reflect on those who have shaped your life this year. Their faithfulness may have been quiet, imperfect, or costly. Love invites us to remember and to speak.
In doing so, we participate in the love that first remembered us, called us by name, and sent Christ to dwell among us.