Illuminate

When asked what was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus gave this reply, "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments".
Does that not mean that the single most important thing for us to learn from scripture is how to love Him, and from learning that, how to love our neighbor? These two commands are presented as the answer to the question as to the single most important command. Not only does one not truly exist without the other, each is required to grow in other. "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness".
So how do we learn to love our neighbor? Jesus did by loving us as His Father loved Him. He has commanded us to love one another as He has loved us. "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” And how much does Jesus love us? Jesus told us, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Paul tells us in Romans, “ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This Christmas season, may we allow ourselves to feel so deeply the love that Jesus demonstrates toward us that we can do nothing but worship Him and respond with love. May His overwhelming love for us cause us to love those he loves. May we find ourselves in the Light.