Day 1 — Love That Shows Up
Scripture: John 1:14
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
We’ve all heard the words “I love you” spoken without action. When love isn’t lived out, it feels hollow. Christmas confronts that emptiness head-on. God didn’t shout love from a distance. He showed up.
John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God moved into the neighborhood. Love didn’t remain an idea or a promise—it took on skin, breath, and vulnerability. Jesus is love that shows up, stays close, and refuses to abandon us.
Advent reminds us that God’s love is not theoretical. It is present. Personal. Near. And if love truly shows up, then encountering Jesus means encountering a love that is active and costly.
Reflect:
•Where have words of love felt empty in your life?
•How does it change your understanding of Christmas to see it as God “showing up”?
Practice:
Sit quietly today and thank God for the ways He has shown up for you—especially in moments you didn’t deserve it.
Day 2 — God Takes the First Step
Scripture: 1 John 4:9–10
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son…”
God is always the initiator. He didn’t wait for humanity to clean itself up or prove it was worth saving. He moved toward us while we were still broken, distant, and resistant.
That’s what makes the incarnation so staggering. God came not because we were lovable, but because we were lost. Christmas isn’t about our pursuit of God—it’s about God’s relentless pursuit of us.
Love that shows up doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. It steps into mess. It moves toward pain. It initiates reconciliation. That’s the love we see from cradle to cross.
Reflect:
•Where do you struggle to believe God loves you as you are?
•How does knowing God took the first step affect your faith?
Practice:
Write a short prayer thanking God for loving you before you ever loved Him.
Day 3 — Love That Walks Toward
Scripture: Luke 10:33–34
“But a Samaritan… took pity on him. He went to him…”
Love is revealed not by what we avoid, but by what we move toward. In Jesus’ parable, religious leaders crossed the road to avoid pain. The Samaritan crossed the road to show love.
Showing up often means inconvenience. It means emotional risk. It means stepping into places others avoid. Jesus modeled this kind of love with tax collectors, sinners, the sick, the rejected—and ultimately on the cross.
When we receive God’s “show-up” love, we are empowered to walk toward others with that same compassion.
Reflect:
•Who do you tend to walk around instead of toward?
•What fear keeps you from showing up?
Practice:
Ask God to show you one person or situation this week where He’s inviting you to walk toward instead of away.
Day 4 — Love That Enters the Darkness
Scripture: 1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”
Mother Antonia didn’t change a prison with sermons alone. She showed up—day after day—entering darkness with love. When fear ruled the environment, love disarmed it.
Jesus does the same. He enters our darkness without fear, not to excuse sin, but to redeem brokenness. His presence changes rooms, hearts, and even riots.
Love that shows up doesn’t pretend darkness isn’t real. It simply refuses to let darkness have the final word.
Reflect:
•Where do fear and love compete in your life?
•What would it look like to trust love more than fear?
Practice:
Pray for courage to bring the presence of Christ into a dark or uncomfortable place you normally avoid.
Day 5 — From Words to Witness
Scripture: 1 John 4:11–12
“Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
When God’s love takes root in us, it doesn’t stop with us. It moves through us. Love becomes visible. Tangible. Transformational.
Sometimes that looks like reconciliation after years of pain. Sometimes it’s a letter written, a visit made, a conversation risked. Often it’s simply choosing to show up again—patiently, faithfully, consistently.
The world doesn’t need more people who say “I love you.” It needs people who live it. This Advent, we remember: Love showed up for us. Now, love is calling us to show up for others.
Reflect:
•Where is God inviting you to move from words to action?
•Who needs you to show up, even if it’s uncomfortable?
Practice:
Take one concrete step today to show love—make the call, write the note, show up in person.
Scripture: John 1:14
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
We’ve all heard the words “I love you” spoken without action. When love isn’t lived out, it feels hollow. Christmas confronts that emptiness head-on. God didn’t shout love from a distance. He showed up.
John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God moved into the neighborhood. Love didn’t remain an idea or a promise—it took on skin, breath, and vulnerability. Jesus is love that shows up, stays close, and refuses to abandon us.
Advent reminds us that God’s love is not theoretical. It is present. Personal. Near. And if love truly shows up, then encountering Jesus means encountering a love that is active and costly.
Reflect:
•Where have words of love felt empty in your life?
•How does it change your understanding of Christmas to see it as God “showing up”?
Practice:
Sit quietly today and thank God for the ways He has shown up for you—especially in moments you didn’t deserve it.
Day 2 — God Takes the First Step
Scripture: 1 John 4:9–10
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son…”
God is always the initiator. He didn’t wait for humanity to clean itself up or prove it was worth saving. He moved toward us while we were still broken, distant, and resistant.
That’s what makes the incarnation so staggering. God came not because we were lovable, but because we were lost. Christmas isn’t about our pursuit of God—it’s about God’s relentless pursuit of us.
Love that shows up doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. It steps into mess. It moves toward pain. It initiates reconciliation. That’s the love we see from cradle to cross.
Reflect:
•Where do you struggle to believe God loves you as you are?
•How does knowing God took the first step affect your faith?
Practice:
Write a short prayer thanking God for loving you before you ever loved Him.
Day 3 — Love That Walks Toward
Scripture: Luke 10:33–34
“But a Samaritan… took pity on him. He went to him…”
Love is revealed not by what we avoid, but by what we move toward. In Jesus’ parable, religious leaders crossed the road to avoid pain. The Samaritan crossed the road to show love.
Showing up often means inconvenience. It means emotional risk. It means stepping into places others avoid. Jesus modeled this kind of love with tax collectors, sinners, the sick, the rejected—and ultimately on the cross.
When we receive God’s “show-up” love, we are empowered to walk toward others with that same compassion.
Reflect:
•Who do you tend to walk around instead of toward?
•What fear keeps you from showing up?
Practice:
Ask God to show you one person or situation this week where He’s inviting you to walk toward instead of away.
Day 4 — Love That Enters the Darkness
Scripture: 1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”
Mother Antonia didn’t change a prison with sermons alone. She showed up—day after day—entering darkness with love. When fear ruled the environment, love disarmed it.
Jesus does the same. He enters our darkness without fear, not to excuse sin, but to redeem brokenness. His presence changes rooms, hearts, and even riots.
Love that shows up doesn’t pretend darkness isn’t real. It simply refuses to let darkness have the final word.
Reflect:
•Where do fear and love compete in your life?
•What would it look like to trust love more than fear?
Practice:
Pray for courage to bring the presence of Christ into a dark or uncomfortable place you normally avoid.
Day 5 — From Words to Witness
Scripture: 1 John 4:11–12
“Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
When God’s love takes root in us, it doesn’t stop with us. It moves through us. Love becomes visible. Tangible. Transformational.
Sometimes that looks like reconciliation after years of pain. Sometimes it’s a letter written, a visit made, a conversation risked. Often it’s simply choosing to show up again—patiently, faithfully, consistently.
The world doesn’t need more people who say “I love you.” It needs people who live it. This Advent, we remember: Love showed up for us. Now, love is calling us to show up for others.
Reflect:
•Where is God inviting you to move from words to action?
•Who needs you to show up, even if it’s uncomfortable?
Practice:
Take one concrete step today to show love—make the call, write the note, show up in person.
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