1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” (NIV)
You can feel it in the air. Sometime after the madness of Black Friday and the beginning of Christian radio playing Christmas songs 24/7 something changes. It’s there in the smiles of random strangers. The politeness displayed in the checkout line. A lighter mood seems to permeate work and neighborhoods and lives. Hard to put your finger on exactly. But something is different at least for a few weeks leading up to that day.
What’s in the air? In a word: love. When Jesus first entered our world as one of us, he puts a face to love. God’s love. His love. Our world was permeated to its core. Much of the time it is obscured and fleeting. But around this time of year, it seems to surface through tangible acts of kindness and giving. And for the briefest of times, we catch a glimpse of what could be.
- Randy Halstead