This week, we jump into Part 3 of our Advent Conspiracy series, looking at the tenet of "Love All." And to help us contemplate how we can do just that, once again here is the team from Advent Conspiracy with some thoughts:
At Christmas, one of the things that should distinguish a Christ-follower is a love that reaches out to the marginalized and the forgotten.
Such giving is an act of true worship. For Jesus this is personal. Read the Christmas narrative and remember that the Son of God chose to be born into a family that was struggling with poverty. Nobody expected the Messiah to be born in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem.
Over and over again in Scripture, we see Jesus teaching that He is on the side of the impoverished. As followers of Christ, we are called to do the same–to lavishly love the poor, the hurting, and the lonely. The people in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our cities, and around the world.
When God’s people serve in humble, generous ways, the story of Jesus is told again and again. The poor in our world will be touched by God through how we choose to celebrate Christmas. Through our actions and our words, people will be reminded that they are loved by the Creator of the universe and He has not forgotten them.
When we show up and love in the name of God, God shows up.
That’s part of the mystery of partnering with Jesus in the work he is still doing. Remember to love and serve not out of a place of guilt but as an act of worship. We must not forget that. The good news of the gospel is for all people, including us! We radically love others because we have personally experienced the radical love of God. That changes our hearts and it should change the way we celebrate Christmas. As it says in 1 John 4:19: "We love because He first loved us."
Ways to Love All this Christmas:
In light of this week's topic of Love All, we want to show love to our "neighbors" in the Northside neighborhood of Minneapolis by giving our Impact Gift to Patrick Ray and his church planting team. We are collecting our annual Impact Gift on Sunday, Dec 20. If you won't be able to join us on the 20th, or would prefer to give online, you may do so here; just be sure to select "Christmas Impact Fund" in the drop-down menu.
Receive Riverwood's "News & Notes" weekly email in your inbox. Submit your email address below and stay in the loop.
We are on a mission to help people love like Jesus loved and live like Jesus lived.
It doesn't matter to us if you:
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, we want to help you become who God has created you to be.
