We gathered on the fourth Sunday of Advent, lighting the love candle and breathing deep the truth that love is not a fleeting feeling but a person—Jesus—given to us in the longest night. We held together the strange tension of this season: celebration and ache, laughter and grief. I named the reality that many of us carry sorrow at Christmas, and we made room for lament—like a Blue Christmas service—welcoming the weak, the weary, and the waiting to come and taste His perfect love. We also honored the quiet ways God meets us through His people, like the church family caring for my parents in Guelph, and the lament-laced carol, “O Come All You Unfaithful,” inviting those who feel disqualified to draw near.
Anchoring in Romans 8:31–39, I shared two simple but seismic truths. First, God is for us. That means no voice—external or internal—has legitimate authority to accuse or condemn. The cross and resurrection have already rendered a verdict over your life: “No one.” Second, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Not trouble, calamity, hunger, loss, fear for today, or worry about tomorrow. Separation can feel true, but feeling is not final reality; the love of God is. This love is wide, long, high, and deep—stubbornly present in every valley.
We listened for Jesus’ voice to the shamed woman in John 8: “Neither do I condemn you.” That sentence holds forgiveness, restoration, and power to live differently. We named the enemy’s lies that often sound like our own thoughts, and we chose to bring them into the light of Scripture. We talked about abiding—saying yes to Jesus today, tomorrow, and the day after—as the way love grows more perfect. And we reclaimed worship as our most honest expression of love, especially when it costs us something. Finally, we extended the invitation: on the darkest night, receive the Father’s love in Christ—again or for the first time—and live in the truth that He is for you, and nothing can separate you from His love.
Key Takeaways
- 1. God is for you—no accuser. The voice that most often condemns you likely sounds like your own, replaying old failures. The gospel declares a different verdict: because of Jesus, no one can successfully accuse or condemn you. Let the Father’s voice overrule every other narrative, including the one inside your head. [60:01]
- 2. Name the lie; bring it to light. The enemy traffics in deception, often disguised as your own thoughts. Freedom begins when you identify the lie and hold it up to Scripture’s light, then surrender it to Jesus’ finished work. Renewing your mind is not optional; it’s how you stay the course through hard seasons. [71:33]
- 3. Nothing separates you from Christ’s love. Seasons of grief, fear, scarcity, and uncertainty may scream otherwise, but they cannot sever you from God’s love. The cross and resurrection have already named your foes: defeated. Trust what is eternally true over what is momentarily felt. [67:10]
- 4. Worship shapes love, especially in pain. Don’t measure your experience against someone else’s tears or raised hands. Worship with your body and voice is your honest love offering—often most formative when it costs something. Declare truth in the dark to train your heart for the dawn. [75:48]
- 5. Abide daily; love grows more perfect. Saying yes to Jesus today, and again tomorrow, is how love matures. You don’t need a room like this to encounter Him; He lives in you, and you live in God. Keep choosing presence over comparison, and your confidence will grow. [74:42]
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