“Silent Night! Holy Night!” was written by a young priest in Austria, Joseph Mohr. Mohr is said to have gone on a walk one night after the Napoleonic wars had taken their toll on his town. As he looked out over a very quiet, winter-laden town, he admired the bright silent night and the calm of the town at peace. The now-beloved lyrics flowed from that experience. Two years later as he prepared for a midnight service, he asked his friend, Franz Gruber, to write an accompaniment for the poem, and the two men performed it that night.

In this broken world, filled with so much disappointment, destruction, disease, decay, despondency, discouragement, despair, darkness and death, the words “Son of God, love’s pure light” remind us of the birth of Jesus, the light of the world. He was sent by the Father to shine in our darkest night, heal our brokenness, pardon our sins and give us eternal life in Himself.

The Apostle John summarized the many signs done by Jesus during the Passover Feast in Jerusalem (John 2:23) whereby He brought hope and joy to many people suffering with infirmities. Because of these signs, Nicodemus came to Jesus one night to engage Him in a conversation. Jesus, knowing the real need of Nicodemus, drew the conversation towards man’s need for salvation. He told Nicodemus that God had expressed His love to the hopeless world through Jesus, His one and only Son (John 3:16–17).

Indeed, God so loved His world that in our utterly helpless state, He gave Christ, His one and only Son, to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Jesus came at just the right time to redeem humankind and to give us life eternal. Jesus made clear that the acceptance of God’s love by faith—“whoever believes in him”—is a prerequisite for the experience of this new hope and determines our final destination in eternity with Him.

In weddings in Ghana and some other African cultures, there is the giving of a ring as a token of a man’s love for his bride. The bride must accept this token and symbol of love from the would-be husband before the ceremony continues. Better than a man’s love for a woman, God has loved us unconditionally and has given us the embodiment of His love—His Son—as a demonstration. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God continues to love the world and seeks to bring her back to Himself. Have you accepted His love? Are you inviting others to know and accept it, too?

Our world is engulfed with so much hatred, conflict, confusion, abuse and injustice that the demonstration of genuine love has been thrown to the wind. People are naturally selfish and often express “love” only because of what they hope to get from another party. But when the selfish purpose is achieved, the so-called love wanes. A typical example of this was the “love” expressed by Amnon towards Tamar, his half-sister. When Amnon achieved his purpose, his love turned to hatred (2 Samuel 13:1, 10–15). Not so God’s love. It blesses the one loved. It can be trusted. It is steadfast.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas and sing of the dawning of redeeming grace, God’s love for us continues to beckon. May His ultimate purpose for sending His Son into the world to save become a reality in many lives and never fail to move us to respond in love and worship.