What Love does

‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ (Matthew 1:23)

I sat in the courtroom behind my friend, accused of a crime he did not commit. We spoke each time the judge called a recess, and each time he thanked me for being there, with him, until one time when I finally knew exactly what to say.

“I am not here because you are in trouble,” I said. “I am here because I love you, and I carry the love of a whole community that loves you. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Neither would the God who comes to us in our Lord Jesus Christ.

There’s division of opinion in the history of Christian thought. Some say God needed to become flesh, Emmanuel, because of our sin, our death and sorrow.

The other opinion holds that the Incarnation was God’s plan before the creation of the universe. In other words, Christ was always going to come from eternity into time even if there had been no sin, no death, no broken lives and wounded hearts to heal.

Christ comes because God longs to be with the beloved.

Love wouldn't have it any other way.

David L. Miller