Today, Christians across the world come together to light the fourth candle of the Advent wreath. This candle symbolizes love and is a reminder that it was through God’s great love for us that Jesus came to earth.

A Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night and said to Him, “Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles unless God were with you.” Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Nicodemus couldn’t understand how a grown man could be born a second time. Jesus explained to Nicodemus how God loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God could have sent His Son to condemn the world, and that is just what we deserve. But Jesus explained to Nicodemus, and to us, that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him (Read more in John 3).

Today, as we light the fourth candle, think about how much God loves you. He sent His only Son to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, and then to give His life for yours and mine. Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends. But before Jesus laid his life down, he first had to come, which may be just as great an act of love.

Read Matthew 1:18-23: 

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

Response: Pray to God, thanking Him for his love for you.