December 19, 2021

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.  John 1:14 (The Message)

Love is by far the most popular topic for songs. The Beatles made it clear that all we need is love. Jackie DeShannon implored us to put a little love in our hearts. And Sara Bareilles didn’t hold back when she declared she wasn’t going to write a love song.

One of the “love songs” I remember hearing as a child is from Fiddler on the Roof. Tevye asks his wife a simple yet deeply meaningful question: “Do you love me?” “Do I love you?,” Golde responds. “For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked your cow. After 25 years, why talk about love right now?” Of course she loves him—consider all the evidence she’s provided.

I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to imagine a similar conversation playing out throughout the Bible. Swap Tevye with the people of Israel and Golde with God and you have nearly the entire grand story of scripture. The people who have been named God’s own always seem unsure if God really loves them. So they erect monuments and initiate rituals to remember God’s acts of love. They tell stories about God’s love and write them down so they can be passed on from generation to generation. When we get to the annunciation—that moment when Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to God’s son—God and God’s people have been singing Tevye and Godle’s song for centuries. “Do you love us?,” the people ask. “Do I love you?,” God responds. “For 25 centuries I’ve had your back, freed you from slavery, walked with you, given you kings, spoken through prophets.”

In the infinite patience only a Divine parent can possess, God goes further than all the acts of love we read about until this point in the story. God’s son comes to live among us. It’s a last ditch, bet the farm, Hail Mary of a pass to show us just how much we are loved. And because of it, we can stop asking Tevye’s question. The answer became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood. 

Question: How have you felt God’s love lately?

Prayer: Gracious God, you have loved me before I was born. Help me to see all the ways you continue to love me and empower me to show your love to everyone I encounter today—and always.

Dave Csinos teaches at Atlantic School of Theology. The author or editor of seven books, he lives with his wife and daughter in Halifax. Dave was ordained by Port Williams United Baptist Church in 2018.