"The Wonder of His Love"

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching the following Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lit a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. As we continue the looking at the messages in Christmas carols, this is the message within the chorus of, Joy to the World:

And Heav'n and Nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Matthew certainly understood Jesus’ instruction about the wonder of the love of God. Jesus often talked about how much our heavenly Father loves us.

"If a shepherd has one hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will surely rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14, NLV).

Jack Burton, former pastor of the Woodlawn Baptist Church in Austin, tells an interesting story from his past. He wrote, “I used to go out in the morning to get the paper when we lived in El Paso. Our house was a good four miles from the main parade ground at Fort Bliss. On most mornings I could hear the ‘whump, whump, whump’ of the thirteen gun salute which was sounded every morning at seven o'clock. But on some mornings I could hear the sound of the drum corps as they rolled their cadences. However, if the morning was clear and still, as in the winter time when the air was crisp and cold, I could also hear the sound of the music of the Army band, the blast of the trumpets, the wail of the clarinets and the mellow tone of the horns. But on the mornings I could only hear the cannon, I knew the drum and the horns were there, whether I could hear them or not.”

Your life may be filled with the “whump, whump, whump” of trial and difficulty, but the soft melodies of the reeds, brass, and strings ARE still there. The love of God is really the only constant in this ever-changing world in which we live. In just a few weeks we will have an incredible opportunity to celebrate the most significant event of history – the birth of our Savior. When you do, let it be a celebration fixed in the knowledge of the wonder of His love!