The third week of Advent focuses on love. You have already seen this month that there are 4 words for love in the Greek: storge, philia, agape and eros. The greatest of these, the one that means ‘unconditional love’ is agape. It is never dependant on the recipient but on the giver and for this reason, it is the definition of one of God’s names. He is the God of love; the God of agape.
2 Corinthians 13:11,14 And the God of love and peace will be with you…May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
We will look at three stories of the agape love of God; a love that does not change. The agape love of God, the love He extends to us does not depend on how we choose to receive it (or not), what we have done in the past, nor how we fail even when we love God deeply and desire to do better. It is a true, heartfelt, deep love that originates in the goodness of the Giver and therefore does not change.
Malachi 3:6 “I the Lord do not change.”
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Our first story begins with a woman who has quite the past. The narrative is found in John chapter 4. I encourage you to take time to read through the whole story.
Jesus sits and talks with this woman who had so many cultural strikes against her. She was a Samaritan. She was a woman. She was a woman with a known past.
“He told her, ‘ Go, call your husband and come back.’
‘I have no husband,’ she replied.
Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.’
…The woman said,’I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’
Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he.’”
The woman’s response is what I want to focus on. It is the LAST response I would ever expect. Jesus reveals to her that He knows the intimate details of her whole past, and after talking with her, John 4:29 says, Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
And she was compelling enough that, they came out of the town and made their way toward him.
She isn’t impressed because Jesus was able to predict the future or tell the past. This is a woman who is at the well at high noon, when it is hottest, all alone because she is so ridiculed by the people of the town specifically for her past. And with GREAT JOY she runs and declares, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.”
Her joy is because there is someone who knows absolutely every hidden secret, all her shame, her mistakes and embarrassments, and she finds such freedom in love despite all of that, she cannot keep quiet! She desires to share this good news even with those who have mocked her, judged her and made her an outcast from their presence. The life changing unconditional love of God overwhelms and wipes away all shame, regret and punishment when taken to Jesus.
Jesus has agape love for us, despite every hidden secret, shame, mistakes and embarrassments. We find freedom in this love demonstrated in the birth and death of Jesus Christ. We only need to take it to Jesus.
Agape love of God. The God of love. This week’s Advent is a looking forward to all we have in God because of His agape love.
Our song for today is The Love of God by Mercy Me.