Before Jesus came to earth, the people of the Old Testament of the Bible lived their lives according to a long list of very specific rules. There were specifications around food, labor, animals, money, religion, marriage, and more. And when the rules were broken, there was often an obligation or punishment that had to be fulfilled.
When Jesus came to earth, all of that changed. Jesus brought a new set of rules with him—a set of rules that begins and ends with love.
Love God. Love your neighbor. The end.
Rather than being motivated by laws and punishments, Jesus’ life on earth shows us how to live out of a place of love. We love because He first loved us.
Jesus’ ultimate gift of love was to sacrifice himself—to die—so that we could live. But that sacrifice didn’t begin on the walk to the cross. It began in a stable in Bethlehem. It began in the arms of a young, unwed mother. It began on Christmas.
This week, we light the candle of Love. Sometimes called the “Bethlehem candle,” it reminds us of Jesus and his family’s first experiences in Bethlehem. The candle’s color, purple, is associated with royalty and points to Jesus being born the “King of Kings”.
As we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s remember the incredible gift of Love offered to us in Jesus and offer that to the people around us. Let’s live as love set free. Here are some ways to do that this week:
- Write a letter to someone you love and tell them how much they mean to you.
- Pay for the person in line behind you at the drive-thru.
- Bake cookies (or buy some!) and take a few to a neighbor you haven’t seen in awhile.
- Make a donation to a local charity or buy a gift for a child in need.
- Compliment a random person on the street or in a store.
