Intentionally Entering Advent
The simple story of Christmas is God loves us. John tells us "for God so loved the world that he gave his only son..." because it's the heart of the incarnation. Jesus becomes human, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." God seeks after us with the sacrificial and unconditional love of a Father who is willing to send his only son for the sake of the whole world. Augustine said, "God loves you as if you were the only one in the world to love" (paraphrased). God loves us. A lot. John writes in his epistle, "this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin." In a relationship with God, love is defined not by what we do , but what God has already done . Yes, I know. God loves the world. He loves everyone. He loves me. So how do we make that simple message of God's love go from I know , to I experience, to I am changed ? Because unless we make it personal, we keep