When I was little, I was a pretty serious kid who thought seriously about a lot of things. I remember being in middle school and asking my dad, “Who is God?” He would give me an answer, and I guess I thought it too vague, because I remember continuing to press him with the question again: Who is God? Who is God? Who is God?
In a lot of ways, I am still answering that question. This year, I wanted to learn more about who God is and what it means to love God. I put a quote on my vision board that said: “Loving God changes the way you love others.”
As I have read more about the Jesus in the New Testament this year, I am realizing something interesting: it is all the same.
Loving God is loving others.
The most poetic of writers, St. John says it beautifully: “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him… And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:16, 21)
When we love others, we are loving God. If we say we love God but do not love each other, then we do not really love God. Of course that feels completely impossible to do perfectly but what a great goal it is to dwell in full, big love of God and all people. To dwell in love is to dwell in God… how alluring and beautiful and special!
When considering that “God is Love”, I’ve always taken that to be figurative… but this year I have allowed myself to imagine this idea in a more literal sense. I’ve started to imagine God as being all the love in the world. God being the very essence of love. In this way, the Trinitarian idea of Jesus is really beautiful to me. Jesus, born to earth, is God made flesh. Jesus is love and goodness personified. He is Love with a capital L. Goodness with a capital G.
And to think that Love and Goodness was born in a humble manger… it starts to feel more precious to me.
People at the time of Jesus’s birth expected a harsh military leader to come on a chariot and save them in full blazing glory. Instead, they got a man who was homeless. Instead, they got a man who broke all of their carefully laid out rules. Instead, they got a man who ate with sinners. Instead, they got a man who rubbed dirt in their eyes. Instead, they got a baby.
I love following Nadia Bolz-Weber’s substack — she is funny and honest and thoughtful — and today she shared a picture of a nativity scene set up in Christ’s birthplace of Bethlehem, which has had increasing oppressive military occupation this year. It touched my heart.
Seeing the baby Jesus figure nestled in the ruins and chaos feels significant to me. In pain and suffering, God is there. He may not be what we expect — He may do things differently than we hoped or how we thought He would — He may be more Lovely and Good than we could have imagined.
This morning in church, I had the thought that there are millions of people in churches today all over the world all talking and thinking about the same thing: the curious birth of Jesus Christ. It feels special to be a part of it.
Thank you for reading and Merry Christmas!
Kimber xx
Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts on who God is and the glory of His birth.