Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Only Child


I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31.3)

St. Augustine famously said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” As we enter Advent’s final week, it’s important to realize the overwhelming joy and grace and compassion that we rejoice in on Christmas Day would be offered if only one of us was lost to God. That’s why Jesus’s redemption parables always point to a single loss—one lost heir, one lost coin, one lost lamb. So Christmas is made for you, Christmas is made for me. We share it as equals and individuals, not as a mass of faceless people clamoring for God’s group hug. Each of us is God's only child.



The love of Christmas cannot be measured, because it isn’t a one-size-fits-all gift. It comes to adorn our lives in ways unique to each of us. Take a moment this week to breathe in the cool, sweet air of being God’s only child. Come to the Christmas table expecting to find all you need and more than you could ever wish for. Hold the Babe’s tiny hand in your own; feel the unending surge of love that God has provided just for you. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” the Creator sings. “Therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.”

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