Wednesday, December 8

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Many years ago my brother, Joe, and I were fond of collecting books. We focused on the works of certain authors (yes, C.S. Lewis was one of them, but also Frederick Buechner and a few others), and we liked to try to find “first edition” copies of their books. This was back in the pre-historic days before the internet, before amazon.com, and before ebay – so we had to find books the old fashioned way – we had to search through used bookstores. The “holy grail” of our search was an out-of-print (at that time) book by Frederick Buechner entitled, “The Faces of Jesus.” It was a large, coffee-table type book filled with artwork from all over the world as well as Buechner’s inimitable writing. And we couldn’t find it anywhere. After a year or more of searching, my brother called me one day to tell me he had finally found a first edition copy of “The Faces of Jesus!” I was thrilled for him – but more than a little envious! So I stepped up my own search for the next year or so – but with no luck. When Christmas rolled around that year, and time came to exchange gifts with my brother, he gave me a copy of “The Faces of Jesus!” I couldn’t believe it – he had found another copy when I couldn’t even find one! But when I looked at the book carefully – I realized that he hadn’t found another copy – he had given me his copy – his one and only copy!

The Apostle John defines the love of God like this: “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.”

“One and only:” This little phrase tells us that God’s love for us is so great that he is willing not only to give – but to give out of scarcity – to give sacrificially. He was also willing to give at great cost – for what he gave was not a book (like my brother gave) but his Son.

I still have the book my brother gave to me all those years ago – and it is one of my prized possessions. I since have found and purchased a number of copies of the same book – as has my brother – but I keep that one because it represents a very special kind of love that my brother expressed to me. But how much would I have to love someone to be willing to give them my son? I can’t even imagine giving up my son – let alone offering him as a sacrifice! Yet, almost unthinkably, that’s what the story of Christmas is about!

This Christmas season we will give and receive many gifts – and most of those gifts will be motivated- in one way or another - by love. Some of those gifts might even have been given at substantial cost or even sacrifice. But none of those gifts will be as costly – or will carry more love – than the gift of the child in the manger!

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” – 2 Corinthians 9:15

Brian Coffey