Week of Love
We give thanks for the perfect love of your Son, so that we may, with grateful hearts, love one another. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Curtis Peterson
John 6:33
“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
At first glance, one might not notice how rich this verse is with the message of Christmas. It echoes the message of Emanuel-God with us. It is a message not limited by time or space.
This truth is the reality that David acted upon around 1000 B.C. when he had the courage to challenge and slay Goliath. This same truth — God with us — is a timeless truth we can still act upon today, over 2000 years after His incarnation. The stories of Scripture, from the garden to the gospel and beyond are all relational.
The message of Christmas, God with us, is not meant just to be a physical truth, but a spiritual one as well. Here in John and especially John 6, he tells us that the incarnation is not just about the historical fact of Christ physical presence but a promise of God’s presence in the spiritual realm as well. We can act boldly and with confidence because God enables us through His presence and power through the Holy Spirit.
The power and wonder celebrated in the incarnation of Christ that was heralded by angels and told of in the heavens still exists. Today it gives eternal life and power to all who seek it.