“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16
Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas—the joy, the songs, the gatherings, the reminders of a holy night when heaven met earth. The presents may all be unwrapped and the decorations may be coming down, but the message of Christmas remains as powerful today as it was yesterday.
Throughout Advent, we lit candles that pointed us to Hope, Peace, and Joy—all made real through Emmanuel, God with us. And as we reached Christmas, we lit the final two candles: the Love Candle last Sunday and the Christ Candle at our Christmas service. Together, these two candles remind us of the very heart of Christmas: God is love, and His love took on flesh and came to dwell among us.
John 3:16 is one of the most familiar verses in all of Scripture, yet its depth is endless. God didn’t just say He loved us—He showed it. Love motivated the manger. Love sent Jesus into a broken world. Love wrapped the divine in humanity and placed Him in our midst. Christmas is the declaration that we are not forgotten, not abandoned, and not beyond redemption.
The Christ Candle reminds us that Jesus is the Light who came into the darkness (John 1:4-5). The Love Candle reminds us why He came: because God’s love would not stay distant. As 1 John 4:9 tells us, “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.”
And the beauty of Emmanuel is this: Jesus didn’t just come then—He is still with us now. The love we celebrate at Christmas is not seasonal. It meets us in the ordinary days after Christmas: in quiet moments; in lingering struggles; and in uncertain seasons. The cross would ultimately prove what the cradle began—that nothing could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8).
So as we step into the days after Christmas, may we rest in this truth: we are deeply loved. And may the love we’ve received through Emmanuel shape the way we live, the way we love others, and the way we walk into whatever comes next.Emmanuel—God with us. Yesterday, today, and forever.
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