The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is a time for rejoicing. We see his birth as a time of joy and we thank God for His wondrous love for all His creation. God is truly a loving God.

For the Jews God was not a loving God, rather He was a God to be feared. The Torah speaks of His anger, His wrath, His condemnation of His people when they failed to follow His commands. The Jewish people were locked into a rigid, unforgiving sense of obedience to God’s law, a law that demanded strict adherence to its covenants. They, quite simply, were afraid of God’s retribution, and thus were unable to visualize a loving, caring God.

Jesus, quite literally, turned the Jewish people’s belief system on its head. He spoke of a loving God, a God who cared for all His creation, a God who asked that we love Him and love one another as we love ourselves. Jesus taught us that it was not only right to love our self but that God required us to do so. For if we do not love our selves then how can we love one another? And if we cannot love one another — God’s creation — then how can we love Him.

For the Jews, this was such a radically new way of viewing God that it was virtually impossible for them to understand or accept it. Their entire lives, the very core of their faith, were constructed from a fear of the Lord; remember, they were not allowed to even speak the name of God! But despite, or perhaps because of their fear of God, the Jewish people were very faith-filled and deeply devoted to their God.

Quite the contrast with many people today. God loves us but does anybody really care? Churches are rarely filled and when they are, it appears to be out of obligation rather than from an abiding desire to give thanks and praise to God, our loving Father and Creator of us all. All too many of us find it inconvenient to spend any time with God. We are too busy or it simply isn’t high on our to do list. We have no fear of God, therefore we have no time for God.

As we begin this New Year I believe that we should make a resolution to return to God, to make Him an essential presence in our daily lives, to put God first and foremost in our thoughts and prayers. Let us offer prayer to God for all that He has given us and ask that He speak to those who have hardened their hearts to His presence. Let us ask God to open all hearts and minds to His love and urge all to give praise and glory to His name.