How do we connect to God?

Imagine standing alone on a cliff at night, with the waves crashing below and darkness stretching out beyond the horizon. You know the ocean is there, vast and unyielding, but in the pitch black, it feels mysterious and unknowable. Sometimes thinking about God feels like that - how do we connect with a being we cannot see? His invisibility presents a challenge: How can we be sure he exists? How can we know a God we cannot see? How can we be certain that he is loving and good, especially when life’s circumstances often suggest otherwise? Grief, sickness, and injustice often make the statement "God loves you" feel empty: like a hollow echo in a dark cave. And if God is invisible, how can we, finite beings, express love for him in ways that feel real? How do we connect with a God we cannot touch, see, or hear in the way we do with each other? These are not abstract questions. They touch the core of our human experience.

Please turn with me to p1023. Which should bring you to our passage for tonight, which is 1 John 4.9-10. And we find that the apostle John provides profound answers to these questions. He assures us that God’s love is not hidden or abstract; it has been made visible and tangible in history. The invisible God has been made visible. God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. So, we can know what he is like. And we can know him. And our love for him can be tangible and real. Let me read it:

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In these two verses, the Apostle John provides an answer that addresses both the invisibility of God and the reality of his love. They remind us that God’s love is not abstract or hidden. It has been made visible through the incarnation: the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. And these are helpful reminders of what is at the heart of Christmas, as we share together the bread and wine this evening.

1. God’s Love Is Revealed through Jesus

John begins by telling us (1 John 4.9):

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world…

The word manifest means to make visible or to appear: it describes Jesus’ coming into the world. God, who is invisible, has shown us his love in the most tangible way possible: by sending his Son into history. And so, the coming of Jesus into the world that we celebrate at Christmas (the incarnation) is not just an ordinary story of birth; it’s the story of God himself stepping into human history. Jesus was God’s only son. Some translations express that as God’s one and only Son – which is really helpful. Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father. He wasn’t merely a good teacher or a prophet. He is the eternal Son of God. He is God in human flesh. There is no one else like him and no one else could accomplish what he did. And this Jesus, fully God and fully man, entered our world to live among us. The incarnation is one of the most extraordinary claims of Christianity: that the eternal Son of God, through whom the universe was made, became human. The King of Kings was born in a stable, laid in a manger, and raised in an ordinary family. Now, God’s love is not hidden or theoretical; it has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. Through the incarnation, God’s love took on flesh and became visible and accessible to us. We now can know he exists.

Jesus’ life, ministry, and sacrifice also reveal the character of God. He is not a distant deity but Emmanuel, God with us. We now can know what he is like. Before Jesus came, we understood glimpses of God’s character through creation, the law, and the prophets. But in Jesus, God revealed himself fully and personally. As John 1.14 says:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

And we can see that he is a God who is not indifferent to our plight. We can see the depths of the love of the invisible God, who has stepped into our visible world. Whatever struggles you’re facing, God understands because he walked among us. Imagine if our King was to step down from his throne - not for political gain or retirement, but to live in the most impoverished and broken part of his kingdom. He would leave behind his wealth and influence, the magnificent palaces and royal feasts, crowns and robes, his bodyguards and position of honour. And swap them for a worker’s hard hat, simple meals and a cold, run down house among the needy and forgotten. That’s a tiny glimpse of what happened at Christmas. It falls short because God’s stepping into the world as Jesus Christ involved a far greater descent. Jesus, the King of Kings, left the glory of heaven where angels worshipped him unceasingly; to be born in a humble spare room, shared with the animals. He grew up as a carpenter’s son, experiencing hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and rejection. The Creator entered creation. The immortal clothed Himself in mortality. The all-powerful God became vulnerable, taking on the frailty of human life. Why would a king do such a thing? Why would God do this? To reveal His love in a way that we could understand and see.

God’s sending of his Son was the ultimate action to make his love real. It wasn’t distant or theoretical. The incarnation made love visible, tangible, and personal. Jesus entered a world filled with suffering, not as a spectator but as one who bore the pain of humanity to show us what true love looks like. So for those who trust in Jesus, remembering the birth of Jesus is a call to wonder and worship. Christmas is a busy season, but take time this Christmas to stop and marvel at what it meant for God to take on flesh, to reflect on the enormity of God’s love in coming to us. Let’s not rush past the manger. Let it remind us of the humility and love of our Savior. The incarnation of Jesus should also assure us of God’s love because God’s love is revealed in the birth of Jesus. A tangible reminder (just like the bread and the wine that we will soon share) of God’s love made visible.

Perhaps you’re still seeking, or unsure what to believe. The birth of Jesus is God’s invitation for you to know Him personally. Have you considered the lengths God has gone to make his love known to you? Maybe you feel that even if God did exist, he seems distant or uninterested in your life. The birth of Jesus shows the opposite. God came near because he loves you. God’s love is revealed in the birth of Jesus. That’s the first thing we see in these verses. The second is:

2. God’s Love Brings Life through Jesus

This is how John continues (1 John 4.9):

…so that we might live through him.

This statement reveals the purpose of Jesus’ coming: to bring life to those who are spiritually dead. And to appreciate the incredible gift that is, we need to understand why we need it. Without Jesus, every man and woman are spiritually dead. Why? Because we reject the God who gave us life, which the Bible calls sin. Every one of us has done that. Sin is not just breaking rules: it’s a rejection of God’s authority and a turning away from His love. And so, we are cut off from God because of sin. Spiritual death is the condition of being cut off from God, the source of all life. It’s not just a problem for some; it’s the universal human condition.

This year we decided to get a real, live Christmas tree. My daughter was initially opposed to this because she had seen on Newsround a story of a family who got a Christmas tree that was infested with beetles who stripped the tree bare and then invade the house. Eventually she was persuaded to give it a try, and on the way back I said “It’s so nice having a real, live Christmas tree isn’t it”. She replied “Well it smells nice, but it’s not alive is it because you’ve chopped it down. So now it’s dead isn’t it?” She doesn’t miss a trick! I water it and even after a few weeks it looks great, but without its connection to the root, it will wither and die. Similarly, when we are cut ourselves off from God, when we try and live life without worshipping him as he deserves or listening to him, we are spiritually lifeless. Jesus’ mission was to restore our relationship with God and bring us life -eternal, abundant, and full. The Bible is clear – We could not reach up ourselves to God. There was nothing we could do to fix this problem. But God could, and he did. He took the initiative, he sent his Son so that we could know him, and so that we can receive life - eternal life. In John 17.3, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

This life is made possible because Jesus dealt with the barrier of sin that separated us from God. The life Jesus offers is richer and deeper than anything you can find anywhere else and is available to you: will you accept it? It is not something you earn; it’s a gift. Perhaps you don’t yet know enough about this gift of life that Jesus came to bring? We’ll see a bit more in a minute, but we also lay on…You can pickup…The life Jesus offers is available to you - Will you accept it? And if you have accepted it, are you living in the fullness of life that Jesus offers, or are you weighed down by guilt, fear, or distraction? Take hold of his promises of forgiveness, protection and security and know that he does love you. Tonight, as you eat the bread and drink the wine, remember the life you have in Christ and to walk by faith. God’s love brings life through Jesus.

3. God’s Love was Costly for Jesus

Love starts with God, not us. We didn’t earn his love: he gave it freely at great cost to himself. John puts that better than me. Look at 1 John 4.10:

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus’ birth in a stable shows us how far God was willing to go to be near us. He left the glory of heaven for the humility of earth. Philippians 2.7 tells us that he emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant. God’s love was costly for Jesus. But there was more. This verse is talking about the reason why Jesus came: this is about his death on the cross. Christmas and Easter are inseparably linked. Jesus was born to die. His humble birth points to His ultimate mission: to bear our sins on the cross. The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s initiative in love. John emphasizes, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us. Again, we see that God’s love is not a response to our love. We did not earn or deserve it. In fact, we were in rebellion against Him. He loved us first, even when we were unlovable. Romans 5.8 says:

…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In the incarnation, God came down, not to destroy us for our sin, but to save us out of love. It was an act of divine initiative. God didn’t wait for us to seek Him; He came to us. And he came to be the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation means that Jesus’ death satisfied the justice of God and removed the barrier of sin. Our sins deserve punishment because they are offenses against a holy God. They separate us from him. Only a perfect sacrifice could restore the relationship. So in His love, God provided a way for justice to be satisfied and mercy to be extended - through the death of his Son. Jesus bore the penalty we deserved so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. Think of it like a debt you could never repay. Imagine someone stepping in and paying it for you - not because you asked, and not because you earned it, but simply out of love. That’s what Jesus did. His sacrifice was the only way to reconcile us with God. Jesus came to bring life, but it was costly. Though sinless, he bore our sins and their judgment on the cross. He alone lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. So if we come to him, in repentance and faith, we can receive the gift of life. There was no other way we could receive it. As we share the Lord’s Supper, remember this act of costly love. Jesus’ body was broken, and his blood was shed for our forgiveness. This was no small or theoretical gesture - it was the ultimate demonstration of love. It was costly, but necessary, to bring us back to God.

During World War II, Marine Jack Lucas, at just 17 years old, performed an extraordinary act of bravery. When two grenades landed in his foxhole, he threw himself on them to shield his fellow soldiers. Although severely wounded, Lucas survived and became one of the youngest recipients of the Medal of Honor. His selfless act is a vivid reminder of sacrificial love - a love that willingly absorbs danger and suffering for the sake of others. There’s something similar in the film Saving Private Ryan. During a critical battle, Captain John Miller and his team risked their own lives to save one man, Private Ryan. In the end, several characters lay down their lives, protecting and saving others at great personal cost. This is the essence of sacrifice: bearing the cost yourself for the good of others. But they are shadows of the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. Unlike the soldiers, who saved the lives of a few, Christ's sacrificial death offers life to the world. He didn’t just protect us from physical death - he bore the full weight of sin and its consequences so we might live eternally. He absorbed the wrath of God so we could be reconciled to him.

The cross shows how serious our sin is, but it also shows how great God’s love is. The love of God is not just a concept: it’s a reality rooted in history. It has been made visible. Jesus left his throne to live as a man, He paid the ultimate price to bring you back to God. Such love invites you to make a response. There are really only two alternatives: either you let Jesus bears your sin, or you bearing your own sin? So, will you turn to him today? This Christmas will you worship the God who came down, lived among us, and gave his life for us? And will you let his love transform you and flow through you to others? John’s message is clear: because God has loved us in this way, we must love one another. As John writes in 1 John 4.11:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Invisible love is no love at all. Just as God made his love visible through Jesus, we are called to make His love visible through our actions. The sacrificial love of Jesus calls us to love others sacrificially. Perhaps this is especially important to remember during Christmas, a season that often highlights broken relationships. So let the cross shape your life. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven. Love others sacrificially, as Christ loved you. Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Someone you need to ask forgiveness from? Take the initiative. Is there someone you need to serve? God’s love came to us before we sought Him. Who can you show love to, even if they haven’t "earned" it? The invisibility of God is no barrier to knowing Him. He has made His love visible through Jesus Christ. This love is revealed in the incarnation of Jesus, gives life to the spiritually dead and is costly, calling us to respond in love. Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible gift of your Son. Thank you for showing us so clearly what true love looks like. Help us to grasp the depth of this love and to respond to your love with faith, gratitude, worship and love for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.