This holiday season comes amid unspeakable violence and suffering in the Middle East and in many other places around the globe. War, oppressive political and socioeconomic systems, disease and forced migration, and other sources of destruction and death continue to define the reality for tens of millions of people around the world. At the same time, many would-be saviors and self-proclaimed messiahs promise to bring liberation, security, a kind of "wisdom" and guidance, and even peace and healing. In light of such a state of affairs, questions arise such as, do Christian claims about Jesus of Nazareth still make sense? Could Christmas offer a reminder of good news of new life and raise hope for its realization?
One of the best known verses in the Bible is found in the Gospel of John (3:16), usually translated into English as: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life". The following paragraphs explain the meaning of that verse within the Gospel and encourage us to recover it as a special Christmas message, and as an invitation.
Love for the whole world. First there is the declaration of an amazing divine love that now embraces the universe, the cosmos. And because there is no time in God, divine love flows freely and continuously in the present and in His presence. Therefore, it is not the case that simply at one moment in the past God "loved" and "gave"... Secondly, that unmeasurable love reaches out to all creation. It is not just humanity, and certainly not just Christians, that is the focus of divine love. The natural world is as much God's beloved place as it is our home as well; that is why we have been entrusted to care responsibly for the well-being and wholeness of the whole world.
Love incarnate in Jesus. The unique and distinctive feature of the Christian faith is that the decisive manifestation of God, or revelation, is a person (not a holy book, or anything else): "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:12) at a particular juncture in human history, as we celebrate at Christmas. This is the central meaning of the incarnation: what can be perceived of God incarnate in a human life. Thus God's character is revealed, especially in divine passion and compassion. Therefore, we can imagine Jesus as the very heart of God. It is because of his intimate and perfect communion with God as Father that we confess him as the "only Son" of God.
Love that awaits and welcomes our commitment. In the Gospel, and in the rest of Scripture, "believing" is much more than a mere cognitive activity or process. For Christians in particular, it is not mere religious or theological affirmations about Jesus. Believing is not primarily a way of thinking, but rather of
trust and love with a commitment to follow Jesus as the true path to a new life (John 14:6). Therefore, we affirm "Jesus is Lord" as the revelation of God to whom we are faithfully committed as his loyal friends (John 15:12-15). And that commitment is the key to spiritual formation and growth, both personal and communal.
Love for abundant, eternal life. The above comments also imply that to be "lost," and the condition of perdition, is to be on a wrong path, to be misdirected toward a dead end (and therefore, to "perish"). In other words, rather than a reference to the afterlife, or to heaven and hell in particular, the Gospel communicates God's loving offer of abundant life (John 10:10) here and now. It is the gift Jesus prayed for his disciples to receive: eternal life that consists in knowing God as Jesus knows him (John 17:2-3), which is inseparable from loving God, and living the life that pleases God wherever we are.
This is how the Gospel points the way for us to live in community, loving one another as God loves us. Even in the face of confusion and trauma, may that be the blessed reality longed for with hope, celebrated with joy, and shared generously this Christmas season.
By Daniel S. Schipani, AETH - Christmas 2023