Dear Family and Friends,

As we continue our month long celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, let me begin by asking a somewhat serious question.

Do you really feel like celebrating Christmas? Are you going through the motions hoping you one day will? Are you really in to this season of joy or are you distracted or maybe even worn down?

If you do not yet feel like celebrating, you’re not alone.

To help lift our spirits, today I will share another one of many reasons why Jesus came.

It’s a reason that can be conveyed using just one word. A word so impactful, it’s able to overcome the scars of life and instead bring peace and joy to our hearts. A word so profound and counter-cultural, it enabled eleven disciples to start a movement that continues to transform the lives of many, ours included. It’s the word that served as the bedrock for Jesus’ ministry – much of what Jesus said and did rested on this one word. What is this word?

The word is love.

And with love comes hope for a better life. (Okay, I know that was more than one word but I was going for the dramatic effect.)

Yes, love was another reason why Jesus came into this world. Jesus came to teach us to love.

He came to command us to love.“the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 NIV

And He came to show us through His sacrifice how to truly love God and all others.

If you recall, last week we ended with a passage from James (1:22) which said to not merely listen to the word, but to do what it says.

While it may not seem like the most positive and encouraging way to end a message, allow to me to explain how obeying the teachings of the Bible is made possible with love; that all the Law and the Prophets are indeed based on these two commandments; how the entire law and all the prophecies from God were designed to motivate man to love God and love each other.

All of us have read the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7.

Because this sermon is considered one of Jesus’ most concise and complete teaching, and because this sermon teaches us how to live a good life and be a good person, one would think we would hear and study this Sermon quite often in church.

But, have you noticed that few pastors actually preach the entirety of this sermon? I can honestly say that a few of these verses never made it into any of my messages.

Why? Just look at what Jesus taught.

  • Anyone who calls another “You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:22 NIV
  • “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Matthew 5:29-30 NIV
  • With respect to judging others Jesus said, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5

If I were to preach these passages, everyone would leave church paranoid about their salvation and rush home to maim themselves.

But this was not Jesus’ intent. He was clearly stating the severity of the sins; of just how important it is to not scornfully call each other names, or to not look at a woman lustfully, or to not judge others.

But again, Jesus was not trying to hang huge threats over us to stop us from sinning.

So what was Jesus really trying to convey? That obeying all those tough passages about murder, adultery, divorce, deception, retaliation, enemies, judging, etc. do not have to be a lifetime burden.

That there is another way, His way, to live the obedient life He wants for us.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that He came to fulfill, not abolish, the Law and the Prophets. That said, if we have the will of Jesus in our hearts and follow His command to love others as we love ourselves, none of what was said in His Sermon would be insurmountable.

Would you agree that if we truly loved all others, it would be very hard to:

  • get angry with anyone, (from Matthew 5:22)
  • look at anyone with lust, (from Matthew 5:28)
  • divorce your spouse, (Matthew 5:32)
  • deceive anyone, (Matthew 5:34)
  • retaliate against anyone, (Matthew 5:39)
  • hate an enemy, (Matthew 5:44)
  • And judge anyone? (Matthew 7:1)

And with love, there is hope. Hope for a life filled with peace and joy. Hope for a better world to live in, perhaps one that’s closer to what God had in mind as He created creation.

By now you may be wondering, so how exactly am I to love others in this way?

By first allowing Jesus’ gift of love to resonate in your heart. Reflect on what His love has done for you.

Secondly, share Jesus’ gift of love. Paul once quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

How do we pay this gift of love forward? Perhaps the best person to start with, to share our love with, is the one who deserves it the least.

If someone tries to steal your joy this week, allow love to be your first reaction. React not as the world does, react as Jesus would.

You may be pleasantly surprised. 

In love always,