Many years ago Dr. Gary Chapman became known by his classic book on the five love languages. It is said that everyone has a love language. We accept love and communicate love in different ways. The five love languages identified by Dr. Chapman include: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. If you think about it, we all lean toward at least one of those love languages. The love languages may also be developed in us by past experiences, particularly from our childhood.

                The last candle lit during the advent season represents love. In Matthew 2:1-12 we see the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. They came to worship Him and to recognize Jesus as the King of kings. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”^[1] With the backdrop of the wise men worshipping Jesus coupled with the five love languages; let us consider the way in which the love of God is demonstrated to us through the gift of His Son.

                God’s love is demonstrated in word. There is nothing more meaningful than hearing the words, “I love you.” I wonder sometimes why it is so hard for us to say those simple words. In my family, you will hear those words often. Before we all go to bed, we tell each other, “I love you.” If we are on the phone, before we say goodbye, we say, “I love you.” I am in such a habit of telling my wife I love her that many years ago when I was a youth pastor, I was on the phone with another lady in the church concerning some planning for our children’s ministry. At the end of the conversation I said, “I love you, bye.” I was so embarrassed that I told another woman that I loved her that I made it worse by immediately calling her back. I tried to explain myself by telling her I didn’t mean to tell her I loved her and that I did love her but not in that way. As you can imagine I just kept digging myself deeper and deeper. We all got a good laugh out of it and it became a regular ‘inside joke’ between our two families. I think it is good for us to be in the habit of saying those special words in the right context. I’m afraid we do not use those words often enough. I think the church should be filled with those words every Sunday as we greet one another. We should demonstrate our love for one another with our words. However, saying “I love you” should be more than just mere words. To say “I love you” is to say I accept you and I appreciate you and I care about you.

God has demonstrated love to us by His written Word. The Bible is God’s love letter to mankind. Think about it. If you lived in a culture where marriages are arranged and you cannot have any communication with your future mate except by a letter. Other than that, you will never see the person until your wedding day. What would you want included in that letter? For guys, especially, we would probably want to know what she looks like! I am sure we would want the letter to be very long and with as much detail as possible. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. His written Word reveals to us all that He wants us to know about Him. We can know God by reading His Word. We can hear God say, “I love you” through His great love letter to us.

God’s love is demonstrated in service. It is difficult to think of God serving us. We are called to a life of service to God. But, Jesus showed us how to serve. He gave us an example to follow as He came to serve and not to be served. As Jesus cared for those around Him and served them by healing and the working of miracles; His love was shown. We show our love for one another and for the Lord by acts of service. It is my desire for the church that I pastor to develop a culture of service. The church is a family. As a family we should work together in serving the Lord and serving one another. Unfortunately, a lot of churches have the mentality that if there is something that needs to be done, they should just hire a new staff member or outsource the work. However, such a practice is not really Biblical. The Bible teaches us that each member of the body has a spiritual gift to use for the edifying of the church and the advancement of God’s Kingdom. There is something for everyone to do and everyone should be involved in the work. Acts of service is a way in which we express our love for the Lord and our love for one another; just as Jesus did when He walked on this earth.

God’s love is demonstrated in giving. The wise men showed love to Jesus by bringing Him gifts. The practice of gift giving at Christmas time is a real tangible picture of God’s gift to us. The greatest gift ever given was the gift of God’s Son. We give gifts to one another because we love each other. Jesus gave the gift of Himself because He loves us.

God’s love is demonstrated in time. One of the greatest ways to tell someone you love them is by giving them your time. We can shower our children with all kinds of gifts; but those gifts will not communicate your love toward them like just being there can do. Think about our relationship with God. He does not desire what we do or the sacrifices we make or our religious acts. All He wants is ourselves. He wants you. Like a child who looks up in the stands to see if his parents are there to see the game; so our Heavenly Father is always in the stands to watch us play. Nothing communicates love more than just being there. You may not know what to say or what to do; but just being there says it all.

God’s love is demonstrated in touch. I love the old hymn, “He touched me.” Have you been touched by the Lord? Have you been touched by the hand of the Lord? You will know if you have. When the Holy Spirit of God indwells you at the moment of your salvation, everything changes. As a believer in Christ all things are made new. When God touches you, your whole perspective on life changes. Your attitude changes. One way we show love to one another is through a simple touch. Touch is affirmation. It is saying, “I am here for you.” When you touch someone, you are affirming them; giving the confidence. It is an act of encouragement. Through the Holy Spirit, God places His hand upon us showing us that He is for us. His touch reminds us that He is present and He is there for us and will never leave us. His touch gives us the confidence to carry on and serve Him faithfully. His touch proves His love for us.

As the wise men brought gifts to Jesus as an act of worship and love; so we should show tell God we love Him by our worship. The best way to tell God we love Him is by showing love to others. This Christmas season, may we grow in the love of God. May we experience His love in greater ways than ever before.

^[1] The New King James Version (Ro 5:8). (1982). Thomas Nelson.