Love as the Foundation of Generous Living
The Fourth Week of Advent
Reflection By Scott Stoner
Let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.
- 1 John 3:18 (NIV)
Love Came Down at Christmas is the title of a Christmas poem written by Christina Rossetti in 1885. The words have been put to music by several composers and are sung in many churches during the Christmas season.
Here is the final verse of the poem: Love shall be our token; love be yours and love be mine; love to God and others, love for plea and gift and sign.
The poem is a reminder, along with the above passage, that love is more than words or feelings. Love is most fully expressed in action. The birth of Jesus into our world is God’s ultimate act of generous love.
As we have seen during this Advent journey, generosity, gratitude, hospitality, and love are best expressed in what we do and how we treat one another. We love because God first loved us, and our desire is to then share that love with others so that “love shall be our token.”
This connection between love and action is what distinguishes authentic love from mere sentiment. Anyone can say loving words, but it takes commitment and sacrifice to demonstrate love through generous actions. The Christmas story itself is the ultimate example of love in action—God’s love made manifest in the incarnation of Jesus.
Making it Personal: What speaks to you in the scripture verse from 1 John and the final verse of Love Came Down at Christmas? In these last few days before Christmas, how might you express love “with actions and in truth”? Today, look for one specific way to demonstrate love through a generous action rather than just words.