"Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God: and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested towards us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live though Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:7-11.

In Church today our pastor read one of those email stories that floats around claiming to be true. It's a good parable either way so I'll repeat it here.

There was a brother and sister aged respectively 5 and 7. The girl had a rare disease which was going to kill her very soon unless she could get a blood transfusion from someone with the correct antibodies.
Fortuantely her younger brother had sucessfully fought off the disease himself some time ago and had the antibodies.
With the parent's concent, the boy was asked if he was willing to give his sister a transfusion of his blood.
The boy asked, "will she die if I don't to it".
"Yes", the Doctor told him.
He thought about it for a moment and then said ok.
The transfusion took place with both the children laying next to each other on the hospital beds. The procedure was moving along sucessfully and the doctor observed the girl's immediate positive response to the treatment. Everyone was very happy.
Except the boy.
With a pale face and tremble in his voice he asked the doctor, "Am I going to start dying straight away?"

Real love is willingness to lay down one's life for another.
As we look this Christmas for the presents under our Chritmas tree, lets remember that the greatest present ever was nailed to one some 2000 years ago.

Prayer
Father, most of us have had someone that we love so much that we would be willing to give them all we have, even our very lives. How far greater is Your love that even when we were your enemies you gave Your Son for ours. Help us to live in gratitude for your love and your sacrifice, help us to love as You love. Jesus, thank you.
Amen.

Blessings guys and Merry Christmas
Cat.