Love in the Gospel Christmas Story

Have you ever looked at a nativity scene and thought, “how serene”?

On the contrary, have you ever been in a room of women swapping birth stories? It is a comparable scenario to veteran soldiers telling each other how they earned their medals. And often, the story being told is how the expectations the mother brought in were roughed up by the reality of what actually happened.

Imagine with me for a moment how Mary’s expectations of how her first child would be born were shattered by the sight of the barnyard she would soon be giving birth in. Think of the elements of a nativity scene. Bleating sheep, goats, and mooing cows. Hay and animal waste scattered everywhere. Nowhere to lay a baby except a feeding trough. Jesus was born into a literal mess.

Yet as we so often see throughout life, it’s in the messiest and least expected times that the most incredible things happen. If you keep hanging out with those moms recounting their children’s birth, you’ll start to hear how the pain and discomfort was all worth it, how much they love their kids, and how no matter how difficult it is, they wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s the same with Christ, and the same with the Father. There isn’t one moment of setting the gospel plan in motion that He would take back.

Love, at its core, is selfless. It is about desiring the good of someone else over your own preferences. And to be frank, sacrificial love, in its truest form, is uncommon because many people manage to make love about themselves and what they enjoy. John 3:16 is the thesis statement of the birth of Jesus we so eagerly celebrate at Christmas time. God loves us so He showed up. In His love, God has restored creation. He came into our world so unexpectedly, though long hoped for. Each day, His love for us endures and is the same. God so loved that He gave His son for every single one of us. Merry Christmas, Church!