Advent Week 3 - A Conversation About Love

Let's celebrate Advent together! In addition to this week's episode, enjoy the following devotional and reflection questions.

Advent Love
By Kacey Williamson
 
Patient. Kind. Rejoices with the truth. Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Never fails. These are just a few aspects of biblical love captured in 1 Corinthians 13. During advent, we see another important quality of love: love is about being present.
 
Several years ago, I was a student at TCU struggling with anxiety and depression. One December, while most of my friends were gathering for gift exchanges and ugly Christmas sweater contests, I was holed up in my dorm room, crippled by the weight of final exams and feeling incredibly lonely. One day, a friend reached out and asked if I was going to a party we were all invited to. She said she just wanted to make sure I had someone to go with.
 
My friend didn’t know it at the time, but she loved me in a profound way by simply reaching out and meeting me where I was at—by being present. I went to the party that night and felt love at every turn. From laughter in the car ride over, to fellowship around baked goods and hot chocolate, I was surrounded by people who welcomed me in and pointed me to the love of our Savior.
 
This advent season, and year-round, we get to celebrate true love. We get to rejoice in the fact that our Lord and Savior is our ever-present Immanuel, God with us. He sent His one and only Son to this earth to live the perfect life we couldn’t live and save us from our sins. He is present with us today as His Holy Spirit lives and reigns within the hearts of believers. His presence demonstrates His lavish love. 1 John 4:16 tells us that “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
 
As we hear from Camille, Krupa, and Virginia in this podcast episode, Christmastime is an amazing opportunity to love others by being present with them. When we rally around friends and family and welcome others into our homes and hearts, we share the love of our Savior who first welcomed us into His own family.
 
How can you share the lavish love of Christ this Christmas season? My prayer for each of us, during advent and throughout the year ahead, is that we would continuously abide in the presence of our Savior and follow His lead as we love others well. He is Love itself.
 
Reflection Questions
Read John 3:16-17. Why did God send Jesus to earth? How does that encourage you?
Read Matthew 1:18-25. Reflect on Jesus as Immanuel. Praise God for His constant loving presence.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. How have you experienced God’s love for you in specific ways this Advent season? Note two specific people to whom you can demonstrate love this week.

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