A Love that Changes Lives
What is Christmas really about?
That’s the question that was once asked by a little girl named Cindy Lou Who. If you’ve seen the movie, Cindy Lou Who wakes up on Christmas night and comes downstairs to find the Grinch dressed up like Santa. But she doesn’t realize it’s the Grinch. She thinks she’s walked in on Santa Claus putting presents under the tree.
So she asks Santa this all-important question.
“Santa, what’s Christmas really about?”
No sooner does she ask the question than the Grinch responds with…
“Vengeance! Er, I mean… Presents!”
Of course, little Cindy Lou Who is disappointed by this answer. Probably for the same reason you would be. Because we all know that while we enjoy the presents at Christmas, there has to be something more.
What is Christmas really about?
We know what Christmas is really about.
I think deep down, we know what Christmas is about.
Some of you might say Christmas is a time of hope. Or a time for believing. We’ve talked about those ideas a little over the last few weeks.
Some of you might say that Christmas is a time of peace. It’s a time when we lay our weapons down, cross the battle lines and try to forgive.
Some of you might say that Christmas is a time for family. A time when we gather with those who mean the most to us and we enjoy each other’s presence.
You might come up with a variety of answers, but my guess is that all of these answers and ideas would have the same common denominator… LOVE.
In fact, there may be things we disagree on, there may be differences between us, but we could probably all agree on this, that Christmas is a season of LOVE.
But if that’s true, I have another question:
What does LOVE look like?
For many of us, we’ve fallen into the trap of celebrating Christmas on the outside but feeling like the Grinch on the inside.
We’ve put up the tree, we’ve mailed out the Christmas cards, we’ve bought the gifts… but we know something that not many people know about us. We’re grumpy about it.
The truth is, we’re frustrated by the family we are supposed to go spend time with this Christmas. We’re annoyed that we have to buy so many gifts for people we only see once a year. And we’re irritated that we don’t have more time to do the things we really want to do because we have to do so many things we don’t necessarily want to do to make Christmas special for everyone else.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel more like the Grinch than Cindy Lou Who. And if Christmas is a season that’s all about love, I’ve got serious questions about what this love looks like. Because I don’t think my inner life looks very loving.
This is Love
The good news is that God shows us what love looks like.
After reminding early believers in the ancient city of Rome about the faith we have and the kind of hope we hold on to, Paul says this in Romans 5.6-11.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
THIS is what love looks like.
At just the right time, the great love of God was revealed when our Father in Heaven sent His one and only Son to earth. Yes, he was born in a manger in Bethlehem. But that was just the beginning of the story. You see, God sent Jesus at just the right time for us to die for us.
Why?
The question is always why?
Why did Jesus have to die for me?
To answer that question I think you have to ask another question… What happens when this life is over?
If you come to the conclusion that there is more, that there is an afterlife, then you might wonder what impact this life has on the next life.
Every major religion in the world tries to answer this question. And every major world religion will suggest that you must do certain things in order to please a god or please the gods or the universe or whatever. Only one speaks of a God who loved you so much that he came, he entered the world as a baby, lived among us. Creator became creation. And then was willing to die in our place not so that we could experience the afterlife… but so we could have eternal life.
The afterlife is something that begins later. Eternal life is something that begins NOW!
Every other world religion says, “Do this…” and you will find life. But Jesus says, “Look at what I have done for you and you will find life!”
Jesus came and Jesus died. Because Jesus loved. This is what love looks like. It’s sacrificial. In fact, I would argue love that isn’t sacrificial love isn’t really love at all.
Sacrificial Love
Paul continues…
And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
God demonstrated his love for you at the cross.
He didn’t ask you to demonstrate your love.
He demonstrated his love.
When you receive a gift that you know cost someone a lot, it feels different.
A gift that you know cost someone a great deal of time, or effort, or money… it communicates something that words sometimes fail to communicate, at least in the same way. When you know that person sacrificed something to get you something, it communicates love.
This is how God demonstrated His love for you, he gave you the gift that cost Him everything. He gave you His Son. This is how God communicated and demonstrated His love for you. Jesus died on the cross so that you could know, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
The Manger + The Cross
Do you want to know what love looks like, real love? You can look at the manger. Absolutely. That’s the story of when love came down. But don’t stop at the manger. If you want to see what love looks like then look at the cross.
And then, ask yourself this question… What do you do with the love of God?
After the Grinch had successfully stolen Christmas from Whoville, after removing every present from every tree in every house in the village below, he ascended the mountain to the cave that he called home. But then, as the sun came up, he heard something he didn’t expect to hear.
He heard, singing…
He could see down below every Who in Whoville gathered around a Christmas tree in the center of town holding hands and singing.
Love Changes Lives
And that’s when, as the Grinch considered the fact that these Whos in Whoville had lost everything, every present stolen, every family’s Christmas seemingly ruined, that’s when the Grinch thought to himself…
“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”
They say the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day.
Why? Because he realized that Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Christmas means something more. The spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of love.
And throughout the entire story, the Grinch had been the recipient of love from little Cindy Lou Who. And now, despite his best attempt to spoil Christmas, he was beginning to be changed by that love.
You have the same choice. What will you do with the love you’ve been given?
What will you do with the love of God?
Sacrificial Love Changes Lives
You see, it’s a universal truth that love changes lives. Love changed the life of the Grinch. And anytime anyone demonstrates that kind of love to another person, there is the opportunity for lives to be changed. That’s true for people everywhere whether they believe in Jesus or not.
But the reason that is true is because this is true…
The sacrificial love of God changes lives.
If your life hasn’t changed then maybe you haven’t encountered the love of God. Not in full force. And when you do it doesn’t mean you will live perfectly, but it does mean you will live differently.
You will be changed!
You can’t encounter the love of God revealed in Jesus and remain unchanged. The radical love of God changes everything.
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