Sunday's Message - A Season of Love

The Christmas Season is special regardless of your age. It's a time both to celebrate but also to meditate, a unique period when we're able to put aside some of our frustrations and disappointments and to enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround us for about a month and a half. Of course, for Christians, it's even more important, because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And for that reason, we have good reason to experience some very special feelings during this time of year.

And so, with that in mind, for the next seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

During this fifth sermon, we looked at Christmas as a Season of Love.

*******

John 15:9-17 [Contemporary English Version]

I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other.

******

Season of Love

Before I get started on the sermon, I’d like y’all to do something for me. Everybody just inhale. Hold it. Now exhale. Christmas Day is over for another year. Praise the Lord. And pass the Tylenol. And of course, you know what that means. We don’t need to put up anymore decorations. We don’t need to bake anymore cookies. And we don’t need to buy anymore gifts. As a matter of fact, all we’re looking at now tearing down, eating up and exchanging that sweater for a size that actually fits. In other words, Christmas 2021 is now in the books.

But of course, right now I’m talking about the day and not the season. I mean, if you’ve ever thought about what you might do if you got a bunch of dancing ladies and leaping lords, you know that there are twelve days of Christmas, which just happens to be the time between December 25 and Epiphany, the day on which Christians remember the coming of the wise men. And you know, for that reason, for two more Sundays we’re going to look at the Season of Christmas, a series we started back in November. And as most of y’all know, during that time, we considered some of the feelings and the attitudes we generally associate with Christmas. For example, we started by looking at how Christmas might be for us a season of hope, something that’s possible when we trust that Jesus will most certainly return and recognize that our world is temporary and become the kind of men and women who offer hope to others. And then we considered how this time of year can also be a season of peace, especially when we accept peace as a gift from God and claim peace as a lifestyle and pass a little bit of that peace on to others. And after that, we talked about how Christmas can be a season of joy, which is possible when we accept the gift of Jesus Christ and thank the giver and share the glory, and I’m talking about the glory of both the gift and the giver with others. And then last week, we focused on generosity, and we had the chance to see an illustration of that up close and personal when all those young people shared their gifts and talents with us. And so, to this point, we’ve covered how Christmas can be a season of hope and peace, joy and generosity. 

And this week, we’re going to look at something else that generally comes along with the season, and now I’m talking about love. Of course, unlike the other stuff we’ve looked at, I don’t think there’s any shortage of a love this time of year. I mean, even if we don’t get a thrill dragging out all the decorations and we’re just not a fan of icing sugar cookies and we’d rather be boiled in Christmas pudding than to go shopping, there’s still a lot of stuff to love about this holiday. And so, I don’t think it’s not all that hard to see this as a season of love. Unfortunately, I also believe that a lot of this love we feel, well, it just doesn’t seem to last. For example, I love listening to the Christmas carols and watching the Christmas movies and of course, eating the Christmas cookies, I love those three things today and probably tomorrow, but come February or March or April, well, I’ve got to tell you, all three will be a little bit stale. You see, although I may love Clark Griswall and Ralphie a couple times a year, I don’t want to be around them 24/7. In other words, some of the love we feel as we pass through the season of Christmas kind of fades as we plow through the dog days of winter.

And I’ll tell you, that’s the reason we’re going to spend a little time talking about love this morning, and in particular, how Christmas can become for us a genuine season of love rather than just infatuation. And you know, if you’re expecting me to talk about three things we can do to make that a reality, well, I’m sorry; you’re probably going to be really disappointed, because I think there are only two things that are necessary to extend some of that Christmas love right into the new year and beyond. And I’ll tell you, both are grounded in decisions we can make right now and continue to make as we move into the future.

You see, I believe Christmas can actually be for us a season of love when we decide to accept love from God, and I’m talking about the love that he has for each and every one of us here. Now, in my opinion, that’s the first thing we can do. But before you just assume that accepting God’s love is really easy, well, I think it’s more challenging than we may think. And frankly, what makes it challenging has to do with us rather than God. You see, when it comes to his love for us, man, I think we all have a tendency to try to control it and to qualify it. Let me show y’all what I’m talking about. In my opinion, one of the most power statements of God’s love was made by the Apostle Paul, when he wrote this to the Romans:

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:35, 37-39, CEV]

Good stuff, right? Well, it would be if we left it alone. But just like a scab or a bowl of potato chips, man, we just can’t seem to help ourselves. And so we tack something to the end of the passage, you know, to control and to qualify it. I mean, instead of allowing the exclamation mark just to stand all by itself, often we feel the need to add a “but” or an “if” or a “when.” In other words, “nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 8:39b, CEV], “but...” or “if...” or “when...” Now do you see, what’s happened? We’ve taken something that’s emphatic and free and made it a little bit vague and definitely conditional. In a sense, we’ve reshaped it in a way that reflects our values and that makes us feel really comfortable. You see, we’ve taken control of God’s love and neatly excluded all those frankly we don’t think deserve it. Of course, here’s the problem; it’s not God’s love anymore. Instead, it’s just us projecting our love on God

And for the reason, if we’re serious about accepting what is actually the love God offers to us, his children, we really need to recognize that regardless of what we think it should be, God’s love is always a gift, an undeserved gift. It’s like Paul wrote to the Ephesians: But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. [Ephesians 2:4-6, CEV] You see, this is God’s love for us. And I’ll tell you, if we want to experience it, instead of trying to control it and instead of trying to qualify it and instead of trying to break it down and putting it under a spiritual microscope so that we can understand it, maybe we should just relax and accept it. And you know, we can accept it even when life becomes difficult. It’s like the Psalmist wrote:

Proud and violent enemies,

    who don’t care about you,

    have ganged up to attack

    and kill me.

But you, the Lord God,

    are kind and merciful.

You don’t easily get angry,

    and your love

    can always be trusted. [Psalm 86:14-15, CEV]

You see, if we want this to be a loving season that lasts beyond Christmas itself, we can decide to accept love from God. That’s the first thing we can do.

And second, we can also decide to show love to others. And you know, when you think about it, our willingness to show compassion and grace and mercy to those around us, man, it’s really an extension of what God has already shown to us. It’s like John wrote in his first letter:

My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other. [1 John 1:7-11, CEV]

Or as Jesus said in the passage we read a little while ago:

I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. [John 15:9-12, CEV]

Of course, the love we’re called to show others, well, it can’t be exactly like the love God has shown to us. I mean, God’s knowledge of us is absolute and complete. It’s like what Jesus said when he was teaching his disciples about prayer: When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. [Matthew 6:7-8, CEV] I mean, let’s get really; we’re not God. I mean, dah. And so, when push comes to shove, we really don’t know, do we? And for that reasons, we’re going to need to listen, you know, so that we can hear the needs of others. And we’re going to have to look so that we can see the opportunities to act. And then, after the listening and the looking, we’re going to need to do something, to do something about what we hear, using the opportunities that we see. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans:

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home. [Romans 12:9-13, CEV]

You see, if we want this to be a season that lasts beyond Christmas day, along with accepting love from God, we can decide to show love to others. That’s the second thing we can do.

As we talked about a while ago, we’re now gone past Christmas Day; therefore, the end of the holiday tunnel is in sight. Of course, we really knew that going in. But as we prepare to move on into the new year, we can make the decision to take some of the spirit of Christmas with us. You see, each and every day, we can decide to accept love from God and we can decide to show love to others. And I’ll tell you, if we do, we’ll be turning the new year into just that, a season of love.