The Love That Set Christmas in Motion

At Christmas, we all love the sparkle of Christmas lights, the nostalgic sounds of Christmas music, and the anticipation of opening gifts with those we love, but it is only a small reflection of that first sacred Christmas set in motion by the miraculous love of God.

Love Revealed in the Vulnerability of Christ

That sacred night when brilliant light bathed the space, marking the momentous movement of God. The stars sparkling in the distance, a beautiful backdrop for the terrifyingly glorious angelic messenger relaying God’s incredible invitation to find the Saviour, the Messiah—a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. The messenger, joined by the armies of Heaven, praised God in high-definition sound and colour, shattering the quiet darkness of Bethlehem’s hills.

Shepherds, overlooked by most, were the first to experience the staggering love of God, sending them sprinting to be in the presence of Immanuel, God with us.

Love That Cannot Be Contained

I love that Christ’s birth is one of the clearest expressions of God’s love for us. His love can never be contained in a mere idea or a fleeting feeling, because His love is active, holy, and wholly transformative. God’s Word tells us,

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son. This is what love is: not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (1 John 4:9–10).

Love Given in Self-Giving Sacrifice

Not only does God the Father show His love for us by giving us His Son, but Jesus Himself shows us His love. He said, “There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). He laid down His heavenly riches, glory, and position to come to us—not as a distant ruler, but as a vulnerable, newborn child—ready to experience the things that make us human, like hunger, fatigue, limitations, and being misunderstood. All so that He could lay down His life a second time, on the cross, to give us forgiveness and an invitation to experience God’s love in our own lives.

When we accept Jesus’ forgiveness and invitation to draw near to God, God gives us more, telling us:

“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26).

So, God’s love is an action, a love that moves toward us—not because we are worthy, but because God is good.

From giving a bountiful garden to Adam and Eve, to providing a land flowing with milk and honey to Israel, ahava is God’s relentless pursuit.

Christmas reminds us that God’s steady pursuit continued in the gift of Jesus to a world that God so deeply loved. The Greek word for this love used in the New Testament is agape, pointing to sacrificial service for the benefit of another. It is a love that moves to provide the best for another person, willingly given even when people do not deserve it.

Love That Sees the Overlooked

Agape is the love revealed in Jesus, who sees all the hard moments when we feel beaten down or feel like giving up. His is a love that enters into each and every one of our stories, even those whom the world overlooks—like the shepherds who ran to meet God’s promised One. It is a love that rescues us from sin, shame, and guilt so that we might become children of God.

The Echo of God’s Heart Today

This Christmas, every time your heart beats a little faster when you see the beauty of twinkling lights, enjoy the giggles and laughter of expectant children, or feel the paper of beautifully wrapped gifts.

May you feel that as an echo of the heartbeat of God’s love given in Bethlehem.