“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1John 4:10
Jesus did not come to dwell on earth as a man reluctantly or out of compulsion from God the Father. He didn’t come because God demanded it of Him. The true reality of God the Father being one with the Son is that they agreed to this from the beginning. Jesus motivated by love of the Father and His love for us willingly gave Himself to be our sacrifice. Like Isaac Jesus did not oppose His Father when His life was required as the sacrifice for us. But unlike Isaac, Jesus was the Son of offering and the Lamb of sacrifice caught in the thicket. He was willingly offered and appointed to death to save for us all.
His sacrificial act of love is our example of God’s measure of love for us, that we should love others as we have been and as we are loved. It’s not a simple task. It takes a measure of self-surrender to the will of God that is fundamentally foreign to our human nature of self-preservation.
Only the super-natural love of God can transform us to be willing to give that measure of love to others.
The Resurrection of Jesus is and should be the most celebrate and honored day in all the Church year. We rightly celebrate Christmas, the day of Christ’s birth, with great joy and gratitude, and with generosity of blessing toward others. How much more then should the Day of His Resurrection be remembered with greater solemnity, celebrations, and rejoicing, with greater gratitude and expressions of self-sacrifice in evermore profound acts of love to everyone, the poor and the meek the rich and the high-born, the lowly and the outcast, who are equally loved by God and for whom His sacrifice of love was made.
As we look to Resurrection Day, let us approach the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, with gratitude and celebration of His victory over death, hell and the grave. And let us surrender all that we are to serve His Kingdom’s purpose of preaching the Gospel to every creature and loving one another as He, through His sacrifice, has shown His love for us. To God be the Glory, Great things He has done!
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