Focus on ChristÖrnek

## God first chose us Exchanging gifts can be such a beautiful part of Christmas; yet buying presents can also feel like a hopelessly inadequate expression of our appreciation for people. What could we possibly give that could express our love fully? Whatever gifts come your way this year, none could ever compare with the gift God has given us in Jesus. At Christmas, we celebrate that God came to earth in the form of a human being. He is “the Word [who] became flesh and made his dwelling among us”. Jesus is love incarnate. God’s love for us is lavish; he’s not just the source of love, he IS love! In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul prays that they might “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”. God’s love is more than just words on a piece of paper – it can be experienced. His love for us is sacrificial and can change our eternal destiny. Though sin separated us from having a relationship with the Father, Jesus was, as we sing in the carol, “Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth”. We read in the Bible that: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The truth is, we can only love God because he first loved us. Our only reasonable response to this love, is to love him in return. Until we are rooted and established in his love, we will never be able to love others completely, or fully serve those in poverty, the marginalized, the vulnerable and others in need. Today, as we prepare for both Christmas and, ultimately, the second coming of Christ, let’s thank God for his gift of eternal life. A reflection by Siân Rees, the Director of the Evangelical Alliance, Wales