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Love Came Down on Christmas



          
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During one of my visits to a hospital, just sometime during the Christmas season, I had an encounter that left a lasting impression on me. While visiting a patient, I noticed that a lot of people were coming in to see him. The room was bustling with visitors, and it caught the attention of one of the staff members—a nurse or caregiver. She looked around and finally asked the patient, “Who are all these people who keep visiting you? I’ve never seen anything like this before in this hospital.” The patient smiled and responded, “They are the members of my church family.” The young woman, taken aback, said, “Well, it looks like love is being poured out in this room.” Her words resonated deeply with me. Indeed, love was being poured out—tangible, visible love expressed through the presence of people who cared.

This act of love reminded me of what Jesus did by coming into this world. Love came down from heaven. Jesus is love because God is love. The essence of Christmas is this: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). Notice the action in that verse—“He gave.” Love always involves action. There is no true love without giving. God’s love compelled Him to give His only Son.

Giving is at the heart of Christmas. It’s not about giving only when we feel like it or when we have enough. It’s about having a spirit of generosity, regardless of circumstances. Whatever you give, whether it’s time, resources, or kindness, will have a lasting impact. On the other hand, whatever you keep for yourself will eventually be left behind when you leave this world.

So, remember that the love of God calls us to action. God loved us so much that He gave—and we ought to love others in the same way. We are called to give our time, our blessings, and to share what we have with others. That’s the true message of Christmas. 

God’s love is also unconditional. The verse says, “For God so loved the world…” It doesn’t say He loved a specific group of people. His love is for everyone, regardless of language, culture, or background. Today, we see people from all over the world gathered together. It’s a beautiful picture of heaven, where every nation and language will come together to worship God.  God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to love the whole world—not just a select few. We must open our hearts to love others, no matter their background, culture, or appearance. 

Finally, God’s love is sacrificial. Jesus left the glory of heaven to come into our broken world. He didn’t stay distant, observing our suffering from afar. Instead, He stepped into our reality to redeem us. That’s the depth of God’s love.

This Christmas, let’s remember the love that came down from heaven. Let’s take that love and pour it out to those around us—through our actions, our words, and our giving. Love is meant to be shared. It’s not something to keep to ourselves. Just as God gave His Son, let us also give of ourselves to bless others.

God came to this world to be one of us. He loved us so much that He came, gave, and became one of us. He gave His life for us—a sacrificial love. 

God’s love offers eternal life. He is the God who promises that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life. That is our ultimate goal: to love others and bring them to Christ, to lead them to eternity so that we can all be together in eternal life.

God’s love is to be expressed. As it says in 1 John 4, “If we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” The one who loves God must also love their brother.

There is a vast difference between being a churchgoer and being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We can be churchgoers without having the care and compassion of Jesus. Just being in a garage doesn’t make you a car, and just working at McDonald’s doesn’t make you a burger. Similarly, just attending church doesn’t make you a Christian.

The great man of God, Tertullian, said, “A man becomes a Christian; he is not born one.” None of us is born a Christian. We are all sinners when we are born. But through the love of Jesus Christ, we become God’s children. We have been chosen to be God’s people. We are not born as Christians; we are made Christians through God’s love.

When we look around the world, we see many religions and faiths. But only in Christianity do we find someone who claims to have come from heaven, to be the life, the love, and the light of the world.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us remember that it is one more season of grace in our lives. It is not because of who we are or our merits. It’s not because of what we do that God gives us one more year to live in this world. As we step into the new year, let’s be grateful for what we have. Every day is a gift from God. It is not given for us to live selfishly but to reach out to others, to live for others, and to be a blessing wherever we are.

There is a song "Love Came Down at Christmas", written by and English woman by name Christina Rosetti (1885). The poem is based on 1 John 4:7-11, a passage that mentions “love” in some form 11 times: 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

Rosetti suffered poor health from age 16. Her deep faith is thought to be partially due to the solace she found in writing.

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and others,
Love for plea and gift and sign.


Amen.


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