Chaplain
‘All you need is love’ the words of the Beatles famous song could easily be the theme of the month ahead as we approach and celebrate Christmas. God created in us a need for love. It is at our core to long for love and we only thrive as we experience love from those around us. God responds to this need to give us his love and compassion. He did this supremely in the baby in the manger.
Student in Prep and Junior school have their Christmas celebration today and the Senior school have a celebration tomorrow morning to reflect and rejoice in the message of Christmas. Christmas is God’s manifesto of Love. He acted because of his love for the world to become one of us, in this babe. Jesus embodied love as he related to people of different ethnicities and genders, towards the powerful and the vulnerable, towards rich and poor alike. His actions and words modelled self-sacrificing extravagant love.
The announcement of Jesus birth shows that God’s intention was to act to save because of his love. The Angel said ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour is born to you; He is the Messiah the Lord’ this foretold the purpose and mission of love, Jesus’ life and death would achieve.
The greatest symbol of God’s love for us is an empty cross. Jesus, the pure and good, bowed his head to death on that cross. His death was our death, his blood was shed for us. However, the Lord Jesus rose again and is no longer on the cross. The empty tomb and cross shows he has achieved the path of salvation for all people. His manifesto of Love reaches out with this offer of restoration and joy for each person.
Never has a baby carried so much expectation, so much joy, so much love for the world. As we celebrate with family and friends, with presents and food may our hearts be warmed by his love and may we learn to love like he loves with self-sacrificing extravagant love.
God bless you and your family this Christmas.
Reminder that donations for both Anglicare by online giving and Matthew Talbot at reception are accepted till Friday afternoon.
Bronwyn Lihou and Fiona McKenzie