"For God so loved...."

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[John 1:14 (ESV)]

Jennifer Roback Morse at NRO:

Christians believe God is love. They hold that God is a communion of three persons: the one who loves, the one who receives love, and the love itself. That union is so intense that it is One God, just as the Hebrews had already insisted. What other religion has ever invented such a god?

Christians believe that in the fullness of time, God, the one who loves, sent His only Son, whom he loves, to live on earth among human beings. And God did not choose to flaunt his power over his creatures, nor did He demand adulation. Instead, He humbled Himself and allowed Himself to take on the most vulnerable and dependent form. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit, Love Itself, came upon a humble girl from Nazareth, and that "the Power of the Most High overshadowed" her. The creator of the universe allowed himself to be formed within a woman's womb, carried for nine months, and then born as a helpless child to impoverished parents, weary from travel, who had only a stable for shelter....

And was that humble origin simply a staging ground for a massive display of power or pique as we might expect from some of the other gods humanity has invented for itself? Jesus never took over anything, or even bossed anybody around. He didn’t defend himself when unjustly condemned. He accepted an ignominious and painful death. His claim to divinity is that he was seen alive after his very public and very thorough execution. His followers claimed that they touched him, talked with him, and saw him eat. None them could ever be talked out of their story, despite some fairly aggressive attempts to do so. Peter and Andrew were crucified. Bartholomew is said to have been flayed alive. But none of them changed their account....

I am not ashamed to believe that. I do not find it degrading to believe that at the center of the universe is a deep and abiding love, and that I am invited to participate in it and partake of it. I am not embarrassed to believe that my life is a gift from God. All my talents are given by Him to be placed at the service of love. I am proud to be a follower of Jesus. [more]

Source: Jennifer Roback Morse on Christmas at NRO