Week 4 of Advent: LOVE That Came Down to Stay

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us… (1 John 4:9-10 NLT)

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16)

At the heart of Advent is love—pure, selfless, divine love. Not a concept or a seasonal feeling, but a Person: Jesus Christ. Love is not simply something God does—it is who He is (1 John 4:8).

When love came down, it didn’t arrive with grand fanfare or royal splendor. It came wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger. God’s love chose humility. It chose vulnerability. It chose to dwell among us, stripped of glory and majesty. The Creator stepped into His creation not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

This is the miracle of Advent: God so loved the world that He gave. He didn’t give us what we deserved. He gave us what we needed most: Himself. His love moved Him to act, to rescue, to redeem. And that same love continues to pursue us today, meeting us in our brokenness and inviting us into wholeness.

In a world where love often feels conditional, performative, or broken, the love of God stands apart. It is unshakable, unconditional, and eternal. It is not earned by good behavior or lost through failure. Advent is our invitation to receive that love anew, to let it transform our hearts, and to extend it to others who need to encounter it.

Think about the magnitude of this gift: The King of Kings left heaven’s throne to walk among us, to teach us, to heal us, and ultimately to lay down His life for us. Love did not just visit for a season—love came to stay. And because Christ remains with us through His Spirit, we are never without it.

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, let us reflect on this astounding truth: Love has a name, and His name is Jesus, or Immanuel—God With Us. His love should not stop with us. It is meant to overflow. Love generously—through a kind word, a prayer, or a simple act of service. Your willingness to love may be the very thing that draws someone else to Him.

Jesus, thank You for coming, not because we were worthy, but because You are love. Fill every corner of our hearts with that love, and help us pour it out generously this week. Let the story of Your birth be a daily reminder of how far You went to reach us. Amen.

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.