THE SET UP: This October, Japan’s Princess Mako married commoner Kei Komuro, forfeiting her spot in the royal family, as she and her husband plan to permanently relocate to New York City. They tied the knot by filing an official document but didn’t hold any formal ceremony or reception as the long-delayed marriage drew scrutiny from the media. “For me, Kei-san is a priceless person,” Make, 30, said in a news conference. “For us, our marriage was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts.” Make also forfeited a $1.23 payment to leave the royal family. She did it all for love.
The story of Advent, the coming of the Messiah, is a story of love. It’s the story of Jesus giving up heaven to come to earth for us. He saw you and me as priceless people. Actually, there was a price, and it was one he was willing to pay. The most well-known Bible verse in the world encapsulates it this way: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” That was a quote from Jesus himself as he explained his mission to a spiritual seeker named Nicodemus.
During this final week of Advent which leads up to the arrival of Jesus on Christmas Day, love, the selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love of God, is the focus. We use the word love in a lot of ways in our everyday conversation. We love our kids, our spouses, and our parents. But we also love pizza, that new sweater, and the Cyclones. Love means a lot of things to us. But it means so much more when we talk about the love of God. That is love in action. It’s the love that sees each of us as a “priceless person.” It is the love that led to a birth in a stable and 33 years later a death on a cross. It is the center of the Gospel (Good News) and the hope of Christmas.
PASSAGES TO READ: Philippians 2:1-11
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
We use the word “love” all the time. How do you define love?
What’s one of the most amazing or inspiring examples of love that you have witnessed or learned about? What about that story impacted you?
How do you see the love of God expressed in Philippians 2?
PRAYER IDEA: “Jesus, thank you for loving me enough to let go of heaven and come to earth. You didn’t show up as a conquering king or idolized person, you showed up as a baby and lived a humble life, the life of a servant. Today, I want to respond to that kind of love by reflecting it to you and to others. Help me to follow your example of love. Amen.”