During the Advent season we are often reminded of what happened, of the facts. An angel appeared to Mary. Mary, a virgin, was miraculously pregnant with the promised Messiah. There was no room for them in the inn. Jesus was born in a barn and slept in a manger. Shepherds and wise men showed up. The danger, of course, is that in telling so much of what happened, we forget about why it all happened. What motivated God to send his Son, Jesus, as a baby into our world as a gift to us?

John, one of Jesus’s disciples, tells us why. He writes, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son…” Christmas is reminds us that God’s motivation is His love for his world.