We’re into the second week of Advent: Love, and yesterday we observed Jesus’ example of washing the disciples’ feet. And Jesus was careful to make the connection to us clear:

After washing their feet, he put his robe on and returned to his place at the table. “Do you understand what I just did?” Jesus said. “You’ve called me your teacher and lord, and you’re right, for that’s who I am. So if I’m your teacher and lord and have just washed your dirty feet, then you should follow the example that I’ve set for you and wash one another’s dirty feet. Now do for each other what I have just done for you. (John 13.12 – 15, TPT)

John 13 opens with love and closes with love so we can’t miss the connection between loving and serving. Here’s the familiar love command:

So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers (John 13.34, 35, TPT), emphasis mine

We don’t feel love, we demonstrate love…by serving as Jesus did. This Advent emphasis on love reminds us that we are to not only experience God’s love (“For God’s so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…” (John 3.16)), we are to obey Jesus and pass it on. More on that idea tomorrow.

I can’t miss it: the idea of loving and serving is in my Revelation reading too!

Now to the one who constantly loves us and has loosed us from our sins by his own blood, and to the one who has appointed us as a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father… (Revelation 1.5, 6, TPT, emphases mine)