Let There Be Love | 1 John 4:7-12
What is your favorite Christmas movie? My favorite is Christmas Vacation, it is the gift that keeps on giving year after year. There are literally thousands of them to choose from; thank you, Hallmark. One theme that flows throughout those movies is: LOVE. The reason why Clark W. Griswold in Christmas Vacation wanted a perfect Christmas with his family and to put a swimming pool in with his bonus was because he loved his family. In Home Alone, Kevin defeats the Wet Bandits and finally realized that he really does love his family, even his older brother Buzz and his cousin who wets the bed. In Elf, Buddy finds love in his dad Walter and his girlfriend Jovie. Even in one of the greatest Christmas movies, Die Hard, John McClane eliminates Hans Gruber to save his wife because he loves her. I’m not endorsing any of those movies, but I did enjoy all of them. People are looking for love in the Christmas season. Everyone is looking for love, but I’m afraid many are looking in all the wrong places. Some of you are desperate to be loved by God and the good news is that the story of Christmas tells us that God’s love is not just possible, but it is available for you.
1 John is written by a 90-year-old Apostle named John. He is writing to the next generation so that they would know who Jesus is, have assurance of their salvation and to experience the joy, peace, hope, love, and life that He is experiencing in Jesus. John knew that God really loved Him. He spent three years with Love-incarnate and referred to himself as the “disciple that Jesus loved” multiple times. John does not say this because he thought he was special or earned it. John knew that Jesus loved him despite who He was, not because of it. That is what we learn at Christmas, is that God loves us, not because we are special but because Jesus is special. John teaches us where true love comes from and what true love does: it originates in God, initiates the response, and alleviates the problem.