Advent: A 25-Day Countdown to ChristmasSample

What Does Love Look Like?

At the beginning of the week, we asked these questions:

• What do you think of when you read the word “love”?
• How would you describe love to someone else?
• How would they know you were being loving through your words and actions?

How would you answer these questions after spending time reading about Jesus’ examples of love, and looking at Old Testament stories?

Often, we think of love as a happy, warm feeling that makes us feel good. We might consider a time when someone showed us kindness or made us feel seen. But love is so much more than a feeling.

Love is following Jesus’ example of loving everyone as valuable and worthy of sacrificial care, and we have many examples of people practicing God-honoring love throughout the Bible.

Today, let’s take another look at Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph. Mary was chosen by God to have His Son. But Mary and Joseph weren’t married, so everyone had their thoughts about what had really happened. Mary and Joseph had a decision to make about how they chose to respond to God, and they made the choice to love Him.

Mary served and loved God by joyfully responding to God’s call with faithful trust. She could have been bitter, angry, or frustrated. Instead, she embraced God’s purpose for her life because she knew the character and nature of God. She wasn’t trying to earn His love by having Jesus, but knew she was already fully loved by her heavenly Father.

Joseph chose to stay with Mary and raise the Son of God together. This decision took courage and trust. He could have turned his back on her. Instead, he cared for her throughout her pregnancy, maybe even bringing her soup and crackers to help with morning sickness. His love translated to outward actions and loving care.

Together, they would end up making a 90-mile journey when Mary was nine months pregnant, ultimately ending with baby Jesus being born in a barn.

Through Mary and Joseph’s story, we learn that we don’t love others by accident, but instead make the choice to care for them the same way God does. It’s looking beyond the mistakes or shortcomings to see the unique character God has placed in everyone. When we do, we gain an even greater understanding of the love He has for us.

Pause and Pray:

Gracious Father, thank You for sending Your Son through Mary and Joseph. Thank You for the unique ways they chose to trust and love You. I believe everyone is valuable and worthy of sacrificial care. Please help me to love You and the people around me with the same steady faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reflect or Discuss:

What examples of love do you see in the lives of Mary and Joseph? How does that encourage you to show love to those around you?