Episode 73: Advent Week 4: Love

Merry Christmas, listeners! This week we wrap up our four-part series on Advent by focusing on the theme of love. And really, what better way to spend the week of Christmas than by reflecting on God’s greatest expression of love to us—the gift of His son, Jesus. This, of course, should also make us reflect on our love for Him. What is it about God that makes you love Him? What attributes of His character make you want to draw near? Tune in to our final episode of 2025 as Lisa shares what she personally loves most about God, as well as three ways God shows His love for us.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

And welcome to the current mouth ground podcasting. I'm Lisa Banama, and this week we wrap up our standard on Advent. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Okay, listeners, thank you for tuning in. First of all, I want to say Merry Christmas to all of you. We made it. This week is Christmas. It's in two days. And it's been so fun and good for my soul to be counting down these weeks with you. And this week we are in week four of Advent, and it's when we celebrate the theme of love. It's that fourth candle on your wreath if you are lighting it. And it is the reason for all of this, right? I mean, John 4.8 reminds us that God is love. And so, of course, it makes sense that the week that we celebrate the birth of his son would be focused on just that. And when I think about this week and I think about the Christmas story, one of my very favorite images is Jesus lying in the manger. And I don't mean that in like a sentimental Christmas song kind of way. That's actually not what draws me to it. For me, that image reveals the true heart of God. It's why I love him. And it's why I know I can trust him. Because instead of coming as a regal king, our Jesus came as an innocent, vulnerable baby. And instead of choosing the most esteemed family to raise him, he chose a poor, ordinary, humble couple. And instead of creating the most ideal set of circumstances for his birth, he was born in leftover accommodations and placed in a sloppy, snelly feeding trough.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

That kind of humility, that kind of selfless love, that kind of savior. Yeah. He's one I can trust.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

He's the kind that will meet me at my lowest. He's the kind that cares about my heart more than the world's measures.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

He's the kind that looks at my mess and meets me right there in the middle of it all. And offers new life and hope.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Yeah, my Savior, that Jesus lying in the manger, doesn't shy away from the muck and the mire. It's where he begins his best work.

SPEAKER_01 2:57

He deserved a throne. But he chose a manger. That's the kind of Jesus that I know in my heart.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

And that's the kind of Jesus I know that I need. And that's the kind of Jesus I am beyond grateful to serve. And as you think about Christmas, what is it about God or the Christmas story or Jesus that makes you love him? I think it's a good question to ask yourself, not all of the time, but especially this week, as we focus on love. Because sometimes the familiarity of Christmas can make us just make it more of a sentimental hallmark holiday. And we just check the boxes and we know it's about Jesus and we know it's about his birthday, but we forget to really tap into the love that has been shown to us through the birth of Jesus Christ. And so what is it about God that makes you love him? What attributes of him speak to your heart or that drew you to him in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

That's my my question to you today as you think about Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Because I think a lot of us will happily accept God's unconditional love, but if we're truly honest with ourselves, sometimes our love for God is conditional. God, in his graciousness and in his mercy, has kind of revealed this to me over the years as we grew deeper in relationship. How often I made our relationship conditional, that somewhere in my subconscious, I expected a certain outcome or a certain kind of life, the more I grew in my faith, as if it was some sort of like easy button or road to a more comfortable life just because I loved Jesus. But of course, scripture constantly tells us that is actually not the case at all. And so I think stripping all that away and really looking at what it is about God that makes you love him is really important work. And God has revealed his love for us in many ways. Of course, you have an entire Bible that tells you all of the ways. And I'm sure you can look at your own life and see that. But I really just wanted to unpack three ways I feel like he has really shown his love for us. It's just a way to help us center our hearts and to really help us focus on the meaning of the season as we wrap up Advent and get ready to celebrate on Christmas Day. So the first way, obviously, that I think is goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway, that God showed his love for us is that he sent his son to die for us. John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And so as we look at that sweet little baby in the manger, we have to remember that God intentionally sent his son to not just live the perfect life to give us an example of the way we should live, but to with every purpose of dying on a cross and suffering for our sins. And I think that we forget that in again in the sentimentality of this Christmas season, no one wants to think about Good Friday. And yet that is part of really understanding why we should celebrate that Jesus left his father, the beautiful, perfect eternity that exists with him, to come to this sinful and broken and dark world to be with us. And he showed us that through that minute image on the manger, right? That he will come down and do whatever it takes, because he loves us that much. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. And then the second half is the gift that we receive, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And so as we we reflect on that, you know, we see that we are given heaven as a gift, right? Eternal life. But also because he gave his son, because his son died on the cross and bore our sins, we actually have access to God right now. And we've talked about the last few weeks, peace and joy, and the source of all that is God. And the only reason why we have access to him is because of Jesus, because he sent his son. It's no longer a list of rules or law that allows us to try to get to God. No, he gave Jesus his son, and as long as we believe in him, we have access to God, who is love, who is joy, who is peace. That is a gift worth reflecting on, and that is a gift of love that we could never repay him for. And yet we get to experience it and live it and proclaim it. And then this naturally leads us into the second way that God has shown his love for us. It's that he has truly forgiven us fully and completely. Romans 8 1 tells us there's therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And I think maybe that's a word for someone today who is either living with sin or who is trying to forgive themselves for a sin that they have already committed. And what this verse reminds us is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We are fully forgiven. God looks at us through the blood of Jesus. Because he came and died for our sins, every sin we have ever committed is fully forgiven in Christ Jesus if we proclaim him as our Savior.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

What a gift. What a gift. And so maybe today is a day of confession for you.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

You know, we all are not always our best selves in this season. We want to be, but the stress can catch up with us. And it can catch up with our kids, it can catch up with the people around us. And therefore you are left with a lot of stress and maybe some cranky people, and maybe not our best reactions. And so maybe today you take some time and just confess that to the Lord. What a great way to honor the gift of forgiveness that He has given us in Christ Jesus. Lamentations 3, 22 through 23 tells us the faithful love of the Lord never ends, his mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each morning. We get to try again and again and again because of Jesus. And every time we try, we are fully loved and fully forgiven every single time. And the last way that God has revealed his love to us is that he listens to our prayers. He is truly the best listener. And it's so beautiful if you really think about the fact that he already knows what's on our hearts. And yet he bends down to hear our prayers. That's what it tells us in Psalm 116, verse 2. It says, Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath. So we have a great big God who knows the deepest parts of our souls and the ugliest parts of our souls, and yet invites us to talk to him. And he will listen and he will be patient. And he will always be willing to cover each and every prayer with his love and his kindness. And he will answer those prayers and align our hearts with him if we are true and genuine and honest. First John 5, 14 through 15 says this is the confidence we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

What a beautiful gift that he's given us in prayer. That we get to go to him with all of it. The mess. The questions, the doubts.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Psalm 34, 17. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

So as you reflect on God's love this week, think about all the gifts He's given you. The gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness, and the gift of prayer. And of course, it's all through the gift of his son Jesus, who was born in a manger and died for our sins. So now we get to our live it out. How can we live out love this season? Reflect on what you love about God.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

And then whatever that is, you know, for me, I'm reflecting on the fact that he meets me in my mess, right? Well then it's taking that next step and then being that for someone else.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

And so for me, for example, how can I meet someone in their mess and just love them?

SPEAKER_02 13:41

You know, it's easy to be too busy or to create boundaries for your own peace or all the things the world tells us we're supposed to do. And sometimes those things are right and valid. But sometimes we are called to be peacemakers. Sometimes we are called to put others first and to put aside our own agendas and our own selfishness and to just love that we are to love others as we would love ourselves. First John 4 11 through 12. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected within us.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

And so of course showing others love is part of the deal.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

Right? It's not just accepting that love from God, it's then giving it to others as he would want us to do. As Jesus did. And as we close out today, I just want to read Romans 8 38 through 39 over you because I don't know what you're going through. I don't know where your heart is this week as you enter Christmas. I don't know if you're stuck in materialism, which so many of us can be. I don't know if you're overwhelmed and stressed. I don't know if you're frustrated and angry.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

I don't know if maybe you're in deep grief. But whatever it is, wherever you're at, wherever your heart is at, God will meet you right there.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

For I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor death, nor anything else in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

That's Romans 8, 38 through 39. Let's pray.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Oh Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the gift of love you have given us in your Son Jesus. That he came down to earth, and he experienced what was unlikely birth, and then lived a perfect life, and then suffered on the cross and died, and then rose again so that we may have eternal life, and so that we may have a pathway to you, God, each and every day. In the middle of our everyday, normal, ordinary lives, we have access to you, Lord, the source of love, the source of hope, the source of peace, and the source of joy. What a gift you have given us in Jesus Christ. May we genuinely understand the depth of that love, that you would sacrifice your only Son for us. We thank you for that gift of salvation. We know we've done nothing to earn it, but it's only by grace we are saved. That grace is the kindness and the love of who you are. So we humbly thank you for that. We thank you for forgiving all of our sins, the ones we committed yesterday, the ones we will commit today, and the ones we will surely commit in the days to come, Lord. Forgive us. Thank you. Lord, thank you that we get to come before you right now in prayer. We can approach that throne of grace with confidence, knowing that you are there, ready and waiting with love. May we rest in that, may we accept it, and then maybe overflow with it, Lord, so that we can just spill it out to everyone we keep in contact with this week. Help us to be people of love. Help us to honor you in that way this week, Lord. You are holy, and you are humble, you are mighty, you are kind. Thank you for being that kind of God. We love you, we trust you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Okay, listeners.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

May we give the gift of love as we receive God's gift of love in Jesus.