His Law is Love, & His Gospel is Peace

Merry Christmas everyone! It really is the most wonderful time of the year. Everything about this holy season makes me feel joyful, from the smell of peppermint to the sound of Christmas music playing all around my house. I went to Kingsland Baptist's candlelight Christmas Eve service tonight, and as always, it was beautiful. The sight of a dark room filled with candles representing Jesus bringing light to the world once filled with darkness never ceases to amaze me.


"I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12


This will be a short post, as Santa may just be on his way to the Semple household and I know I'll be woken up bright and early by the youngest member of the family, but I just wanted to share my feelings about this special day. It's easy to lose the meaning of Christmas in the commercialism that surrounds the holiday, but the reason that this day is celebrated is to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior. Christmas has been celebrated for around 1,700 years now in countries all across the world, all as a remembrance of the Son of God who was sent to bring hope to the world. When being questioned, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father." (John 8:19) To believe in the God of Creation, you must also believe that He so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life (John 3:16). God loves us, and Jesus is a symbol of this truth. One of my favorite Christmas carols is O Holy Night, and I especially love the following lines: 


"Truly He taught us to love one another, 
His law is love, and His gospel is peace."


Being a Christian isn't a political thing, there shouldn't be formalities and fanciful traditions and rituals tied to the religion. Christianity is about believing in a loving God - a God who, over 2,000 years ago, set us free from the Kingdom of Darkness. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Romans 6:24)


Merry Christmas y'all. As corny as this sounds, remember that Jesus truly is the reason for the season! Have a blessed day! 


In Christ's Holy name,
Ailee


Click to listen to Glee's version of O Holy Night - so good!