20th December 2025
Advent – Love
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to ulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)
Love is more than a feeling. It is the essence of God’s very being. Father, Son, and Spirit are love. Not just showing love but embodying it. Everything God does flows from this truth.
As we come this weekend to the final Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that the whole story of Scripture is a story of love. The prophecies, the promises, the story of Israel, the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Jesus are all because of God’s unending love for us.
Paul declares in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Not hardship or persecution, not powers or rulers, not life or death. Nothing can break the bond of divine love poured out by Father, Son, and Spirit. It is this love that we celebrate in the incarnation.
Jesus came as a baby in a manger. He comes to us now through the Spirit. He will come again to fully establish his kingdom.
Advent points us forward to the One who is the centre of every good thing. As we close the Advent season, let’s reflect together: how does God’s unending love give you hope for the world today? In what ways can we, as the church, embody his love together in our community?
Prayer
Loving Father, in this last week of Advent, let us rejoice that Jesus who is love has come near, remains with us, and will come again in glory. Love is the beginning, the end, and the reason for our hope. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
This study is an amended transcript of an equipping video to empower and inspire Grace Communion International congregations around the world to live and share the gospel. It has been produced by the Home Office Team in Charlotte, NC, USA, and was first published in the 31 October 2025 edition of the Equipper publication.
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