Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. 1 Pet. 1:22-23
Dear Lord Jesus, many good elements are converging as this day begins; good coffee, a fire in the fireplace, Christmas music playing, and a Scripture about loving well. It’s only because of your first Advent that I have the slightest clue about what loving well even looks like. It’s only because you lived for me and died for me that I have any experience of being loved deeply from the heart—from your heart. Though it will take your second Advent for me finally to love as you love, Lord Jesus, you won’t love me more in that Day than you love me in this day. I do believe this, please help me believe it more than ever…
O joy beyond all delightings, O peace beyond all understandings, O hope beyond all imaginings—Jesus, you love me, even me… deeply from your heart… and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t add to your love for me and I can’t diminish your love for me. I can simply enjoy it, be changed by it, and share it with others. Jaw-dropping wonder, humility-inducing splendor, peace-fueling good news…
Jesus, I never could have “purified myself”; I never could have gained a relationship with God through purgings and penance, and promises of doing more and trying harder. What religion could never do for me, you’ve done for me. That’s really what we celebrate at Advent: your coming to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. “Born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth—Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!'”
It’s only because I was given the “second birth”—only because I was born again of the “imperishable seed” of grace, that I discovered my need of the gospel and was enabled to obey the gospel by believing it. You get all the credit, Jesus, from beginning to end… you get all the credit, glory and adoration.
So as I celebrate your first Advent this early morning, I surrender to its implications and long for your second Advent more than ever. Love in me and love through me, Jesus. There’s no other way I will love anybody well. Make my love for my brothers and sisters sincere and observable. Teach me how to love deeply from my heart, just as you love us. So very Amen I pray, in your holy and loving name.
