Overflowing love

1 Thessalonians 3:9–13

9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

This Christmas season, many of us are making our lists, what to buy, whom to visit, and what to prepare. But there’s another kind of list we’re invited to consider: a list not of material needs, but of spiritual priorities. Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 give us such a list: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”

As we reflect on what it means to be agents of Christ in a weary world, we take to heart Jesus’ words in John 20:21: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Sent into a divided, distracted, and demanding culture, we are not sent with fear or judgment, but with love. And not just love that is sufficient, but love that overflows. Love is not merely a feeling; it is the core of who God is and how God acts. Scripture doesn’t just tell us that God loves, it tells us that “God is love.” This love is not self-serving or shallow. It gives. It sacrifices. It transforms.

Consider how Paul describes God’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...” (John 3:16) “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16) God’s love reaches us at our worst and invites us to give our best. It’s the kind of love that keeps moving outward, like ripples in a lake, touching not only friends, but even strangers and enemies. Paul’s prayer is not only that the Thessalonians love one another, but that their love would increase and overflow. That tells us something important: love is not static. Like a garden, it must be nurtured, or it will wither. And like a river, when fed by the Spirit, it begins to overflow its banks.

I remember a woman in our church who began volunteering at a local shelter, even though she felt nervous and unsure. Week by week, her confidence grew, but more importantly, her love grew. She began praying for the residents, inviting others to join her, and even opening her home to those in need of a meal. Her small steps of love became a current of grace, changing not only others, but herself.

This Advent, ask yourself: Is your love growing? Has it moved beyond just your immediate circle? Does it express itself in generosity, kindness, and patience? Paul desires that we don’t just love those who are easy to love, but “everyone else”, even those who frustrate us, oppose us, or remain distant from us. This is the hard work of discipleship: learning to love as Jesus loves.

We read in Colossians 1:21–22: “Once you were alienated from God... but now He has reconciled you through Christ’s physical body.” Jesus didn’t wait for us to fix ourselves before reaching us; He came while we were still broken. That’s the kind of love we are called to mirror. This kind of love erodes prejudice. It heals resentment. It speaks kindly when it could accuse. It forgives when it has every right to demand repayment. And it never gives up.

I recall a man who reconciled with his father after twenty years of silence. “I realized,” he told me, “That holding on to anger was choking the love I had for everyone else.” Sometimes the overflow only begins when we unclog the pipes of past hurt. Paul’s vision for overflowing love invites self-reflection. Not guilt, but growth. We ask: Am I more patient than I was last year? Do my coworkers or neighbors experience my kindness? Am I quicker to forgive and slower to judge? Do people feel safer, more seen, and more hopeful around me?

These aren’t checkboxes, they are the evidence of a life shaped by the love of Christ. Love is not just a message we preach; it is the witness we live. God sent Jesus into the world as an act of love, and now He sends us. Love isn’t just a virtue to admire; it’s a mission to embody. If there’s an area in your life today where love is lacking, bitterness, fear, or indifference, offer it to Christ. Let His Spirit do the work of renewal. Maybe it’s a relationship that needs repair. A neighbor who needs care. A family member who needs grace. A stranger who needs help. This is the season to act. This is the time to let love overflow.

This Christmas, let’s go beyond sentimentality. Let this be a season where we don’t just receive God’s love, we release it. Let our homes be places of peace. Let our words be soaked in grace. Let our actions reflect a Savior who came not to be served but to serve. When the world sees Christians living with overflowing love, it sees a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. May that love flow through us, into our communities, and into every corner of a hurting world. Amen.