I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. —Philippians 1: 9 – 10
One of the things that I remember most vividly about my father is his comments about “baby’s cheeks” – they are “just right for smack-a-roos.” My father LOVED to kiss babies’ cheeks. It was always the same: see a baby, make the comment. It was terribly embarrassing as a teenager to have a father who acted like that – who made comments like that. However, later in my life, as a mother, I began to understand just where my father’s sentiments had come from. His love for me and my brothers, my mother and for life itself was so great that it spilled over into his love for all babies, all children, all people.
There is, perhaps, no emotion that evokes more response in and from people than love. Across the centuries, there is probably no emotion that has been more written about, sung about or thought about, than love. From the romantic lyrics of “Come What May” in the musical Moulin Rouge (“Come what may, come what may, I will love you ‘till my dying day”), to the touching lines of the children’s book “I’ll Love You Forever” (“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be”), to the faith-filled lines of the hymn, “Love Divine All Love’s Excelling” (“Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art”), people are touched by the idea of love in each of its forms.
We as human beings long for love, are lost without love. As babies, we need to be held, kissed, snuggled and hugged. As teenagers, although most don’t like to admit it, we still need hugging and holding. (One of my fondest memories is of my college-aged daughter climbing in her daddy’s lap for some snuggles.) As we grow older, we still need that loving touch, and perhaps we understand more dramatically and deeply the significance of love in our lives and in the world.
Surely the One who created us, knows better than even we ourselves do how much we need love in our lives. Perhaps that is why our creator sent Jesus: to love us and to show us the way to love others. The words of one of my favorite Christmas hymns come to mind: “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine, Love was born at Christmas; star and angels gave the sign.”
Holy God, you know us Oh so well and call us your beloved. Let our own lives reflect your love to a world that longs for your coming. May your love be born anew again, this Advent season, in our hearts and lives. Amen.
Rev. Marie Williams
Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.