“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight” ’,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
— Mark 1:1-4
Each of the Gospel writers begins the story of Jesus from a different perspective, and includes different parts of the narrative. Matthew starts with the genealogy of Joseph, to whom the angel speaks, and tells us about the Magi. Luke, wanting to give an “orderly account” focuses on Elizabeth and Mary, and tells us about the simple shepherds and temple sages. John gives us a spiritual explanation of how Jesus comes to be a part of the world, but skips the narrative of Jesus’ birth. Mark focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise of God, and starts with John the Baptist, fully grown, calling us to get ready for the arrival of the Lord.
Many of us have read, or at least heard about Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. We understand that we show love in different ways, and have different ways that we experience being loved. Relationship difficulties when my way of showing I love you doesn’t match the way you need to experience love. The five “love languages” are
- Words of affirmation,
- Quality time,
- Giving and Receiving gifts,
- Acts of service,
- Physical touch.
Isn’t it amazing how each of these five expressions are found in different measure in the stories of Jesus coming into the world?! The Magi with their gifts, Elizabeth and Mary spending time of comfort and excitement with each other, the Gentle touch of Joseph the wood-worker, the Word-made-flesh-ness in John’s explanation, Mary’s affirmation in the Magnificat… these are all direct examples. But beyond the literal expressions of the “love languages,” there is something more.
Through this variety of perspectives and focus, each of us can find someone like ourselves in the story. Each of us can learn about how God comes to us in our particular situation, with our individual needs and priorities. It is the same story of love, told in differing ways.
And it is an affirmation that we can show the love of God in our own ways, using our own unique gifts.
Holy God, we open ourselves to the arrival of your love into our world and into our lives. We await Emmanuel: God’s love with us. God’s love in us. God’s love through us. Amen.
So, your questions for worship this Sunday are:
1. How do you show love?
2. What do you need to know that you are loved?
3. What part of the Christmas story speaks of God’s love to you?
4. How, then, can you best show God’s love?
Pastor George