During the fourth Sunday of Advent, we reflected on one of the most profound truths of the Christian faith: the love of God is not merely declared it is promised, fulfilled, and lived out among God’s people. Our Advent readings this week drew us into that story through Isaiah, Mary’s song, and the apostle John, showing us that God’s love has always been active, covenantal, and purposeful.
In these readings, we see the love of God given and promised. In Isaiah 7, Judah faced political turmoil and fear. King Ahaz was faithless, anxious, and tempted to trust human solutions rather than the Lord. Yet, remarkably, God did not abandon him. Instead, the Lord spoke again offering reassurance and even inviting Ahaz to ask for a sign. When Ahaz hesitated, God graciously provided the sign anyway. The Prophet Isaiah declared, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
This promise reminds us that God’s faithfulness does not rest on the strength of human faith but on His unchanging covenant love. Even when His people falter, the Lord remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself. The promise of Immanuel, God with us, was rooted not in human effort or achievement but in divine mercy.
We also see the loving fulfillment of this promise. That ancient promise comes into focus in Luke 1 through Mary’s Magnificat or song. When the angel announced that she would bear the Savior, Mary responded not with pride but with humility and worship. She rejoiced in God her Savior, recognizing both her need and God’s grace.
Mary’s song reaches back across redemptive history connecting Israel, Abraham, and the promises made to the fathers. What God had pledged generations earlier was now coming to fruition. The long-awaited Redeemer had arrived, and salvation was unfolding exactly as God had promised. Mary knew it, faithful Israel knew it, and heaven itself rejoiced. Love had not remained distant from mankind but rather love had come down.
Third, we see the loving manifestation and work of this promise. In 1 John 4, we are reminded that God’s love does not end at Bethlehem. It continues in the life of the church. John tells us plainly that God showed His love by sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Salvation, from beginning to end, is God’s work. We contributed nothing but the sin that made it necessary.
Because God has loved us in this way, His love now takes visible shape in us. John teaches that there are evidences of genuine faith, which is love. This evidence of love is manifested in our lives as love for truth, love for holiness, and love for fellow believers. This love is not mere sentiment. It is active, costly, and Spirit-produced. When we love one another, God’s love is being perfected among us.
Advent calls us not only to marvel at God’s love in Christ but to examine our hearts. Do we love what God loves? Do we cherish His truth, pursue holiness, and genuinely love His people? These are not burdensome demands but gracious fruits of God’s love at work within us. This season, may we rest in the comfort that God keeps His promises, rejoice that Christ has come, and commit ourselves anew to loving one another, as those who have been deeply and eternally loved by God.
Joe Tolin
Kingman Presbyterian Church
