I want my theology to be correct. Precision in handling Scripture is a good thing. But the danger of being theologically correct and adept at handling the Bible is that we can lose sight of why the Bible exists in the first place.

The Bible exists because God loves us enough to teach us how to be in relationship with him. God loved us enough to create us even when he knew we would rebel and he would have to fix it. God loves us enough to send Jesus to demonstrate to us what that love looks like in flesh and bone.

This is the message of Christmas; it is a message of love.

This paragraph in Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs prompted these thoughts:

“We are to seek to demonstrate in our lives the perfect love that has existed between the Father and the Son through all eternity. It is the reality of love in our lives which will be one of the most powerful means of people in the world seeing the beauty of the message of Christ. By our love people will know that the Father sent the Son into the world. By our love for one another, people will know that we are loved by God.”

Here is an idea for a church growth strategy: love well.

When we love well, people will listen to our message. When we love well, people will have opportunity to see the truth in what we say. When we love well, we earn the right to be heard.

Jesus loved well and turned the world upside down.

May we, the church universal, do the same. May this Christmas be a time of rediscovery of how much we are loved and a discovery of how we can better love others.

Merry Christmas!