9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9–10)
God made the first move. Not only did he instigate the process whereby his son would inhabit the earth for a season to manifest his love amongst us, but he fashioned the plan to save us from our sins; the ultimate tangible demonstration of his love in his son’s substitutionary death on a cross for the sins of the world.
We are reminded of this annually if we still understand the meaning of Christmas. He came bearing the free gift of salvation made possible by his death, burial, and resurrection. This would constitute payment in full for the consequence of our sin. Some 33 years later the plan was executed, in more ways than one. That’s why Easter comes on the heels of Christmas. It’s the rest of the story.
Christmas represents the manifestation of his love. His love supplied. Easter is the demonstration and culmination of his love. His love applied.
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