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This blog post is Part 1 of a series entitled "Love Begins Here" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN. 

Message Date: December 3, 2023

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I find it so very hard to believe that this will be the fourth Christmas that Amy, the girls, and I have experienced and enjoyed with you since becoming Senior Pastor at Donelson First in the year 2020. I too find it hard to believe that we are now in the month of December. Christmas Day is in 22 days y’all! 22 days.

So, what traditions do you have with your family this time of year? The Smith family has so very many. Through the last few years, I have shared a few with you... We love to spend an evening in the city of Franklin, TN eating and shopping. We will do so in two weeks as we see the 1947 classic movie Miracle on 34th Street at the historic Franklin Theatre. We actually are beginning, what I hope will become, a new Smith tradition of traveling to the town square of Lebanon, TN and seeing another big screen classic from 1946. This one we will watch for the first time in Lebanon’s historic Capitol Theatre, It’s A Wonderful Life. We too have several other traditions, such as dinner at the Old Hickory Steak House in Gaylord on Christmas Eve, and before going to bed each Christmas Eve, we read the story recorded in Luke 2 of the birth of the Christ, and one of my favorites is what we call the “12 days of Christmas.” The 12 days leading up to Christmas Day, Amy has little fun gifts for us. We often use this intimate time each night to talk, or pray, or catch up of life. It’s one of my favorite “12 traditions” of the Christmas season!

One tradition that has become a love of mine here at Donelson First is my annual cheesy Christmas jokes….

What did one snowman say to the other? Do you smell carrots?
How you can tell that Santa is real? You can always sense his presents.
What do you call a bankrupt Santa? Saint Nickel-less.
What’s every elf’s favorite type of music? Wrap.
Why don’t you ever see Santa in the hospital? Because he has private elf care!
How did Scrooge win the football game? The ghost of Christmas passed.
What did Mrs. Claus say to Santa when she looked up in the sky? "Looks like rein, deer!"
What do elves post on Social Media? Elf-ies.

Answer this question: If I were to choose one verse to describe the beauty, and the magnificence, and the splendor of the Christmas story, what verse would I choose? Well… one might say that there is no verse more eloquent in describing the birth of our Savior than this passage recorded in the book of Isaiah:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

One too might conclude that there is no verse that better articulates the story of Christmas than the passage in Luke detailing the words the angel spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

Even still, the case can be made that the verse describing the greatness and glory and grandeur of the birth of the Christ child is: Luke 2:8-14.

I could make a strong case for the use of each of these verses as they respectively celebrate the most spectacular birth of God’s only Son on that both singular and distinctive night when the Son of Man drew His first breath on earth as One both fully God and fully Man. For on that night began the most spectacular journey of any human who has, is, or will one day live on this planet. You see…Love begins here… the first Christmas night.

But if I were tasked with the challenge of only choosing one verse to describe the Christmas story, I personally would not select any of these verses I’ve just read to you to describe that night when mercy and grace and hope and peace were simultaneously on full display as angels set the dark sky ablaze while Joseph and a young Mary witnessed the most spectacular birth of all – the birth of Immanuel, God with us. So… to which verse do I refer?

Let me give you a few hints: First, this verse is the most famous summary of the gospel in all of the Holy Scriptures. Additionally, it has been reported that this famous verse has appeared on more posters, signs, and socials and too has been displayed at countless events and gatherings than any other verse in the Bible. And here is the big “kaboom” give-away hint: This is probably the very first verse you ever memorized, and I feel confident, fully confident, that a majority of the people in this room today know this one by heart! To which verse am I referring - - John 3:16. Say it with me…

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I have read this verse of 26 words countless times throughout my 54 years of life. I presume you have done the same. Many scholars say, and I tend to agree, that these words are the most recognizable and the most quoted words written in all of the Holy Scriptures. In my 42 short months as your Pastor, immersed throughout a variety of teaching series, I have read John 3:16 to you on 32 different occasions. However, during the 32 times that I have read this passage to you, I have never dissected these powerful words... these all-consuming words that fully postulate the message of God’s love for us, and the sacrifice He made in order to grant you and me access to Him and into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Love begins here. Love begins here with the reality that, as John 3:16 confirms… Say it with me again…For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. During this month-long series, Love Begins Here, I want to dissect this passage into 5 parts. The 5 parts:

Love Begins Here…
1. For.
2. God so loved the world.
3. God gave His one and only Son.
4. Whoever believes in Him shall not perish.
5. I will have eternal life.

Today, I will walk you through the first three. So here we go!

Love Begins Here because…
1. For. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. We often speak of the love of Jesus, the ways of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the cross that Jesus carried, His betrayal, arrest, mockery of a trial, and ultimately His death by crucifixion on a cross. We too, deservingly so, speak often of the resurrection of Jesus, the empty tomb, and the ultimate price He forever paid by conquering death once and for all. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. And rightly so, we often speak of all of these things through the lens of what Jesus did, and of what is so very much a part of this ever-popular and deeply important verse found in the book of John - John 3:16. But what about God? What about what God did first?! You see, we often highlight less the first and critical part of this powerful verse that makes this entire and amazing love story of our Savior even possible.  I am of the belief that there is no other word, no other word, recorded in the entirety of the Holy Scriptures that best encapsulates the love our heavenly Father has for all, for us all, than that of this one word… This word to which I refer is the first word of John 3:16:

For. 

It is the first word of John 3:16, the word “for,” that would have unequivocally and substantially been solidified in the minds of the early readers of the Scriptures, because they understood what it meant! It is this one word that, once understood in the Greek, would leave no doubt to its readers as to what John was desiring to communicate about the indescribable love the heavenly Father has for all of humanity.

For /Greek/ gar = Because of this very reason; with no doubt.

The apostle John, the writer of these words, was an eyewitness of Jesus’ Judean ministry. And throughout this book, John writes in the 3rd person. Notice the usage of the word “he” as John speaks of himself.  See this style of writing also in John 19:35, as John writes to convey his presence time and again with the Christ throughout His ministry:

The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. John 19:35

He too writes at the end of the book of John a similar confirmation of His up-close and personal account with the Savior of the world: This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. John 21:24. John is best known as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” As a matter of fact, read how John is described in John 13:23, while sitting next to Jesus at their last meal together before Jesus’ death: One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. John 13:23. I too find great humor in John’s selection of wording as he describes the moment he and the disciple Peter reach the tomb and realize that their best friend has, in fact, come back to life!

See if you too can hear the humor in his telling of this critical moment that can truly only be described as supernatural: John 20:2-8. Not once, but twice, John announces to the world that he is by far a much faster runner than is Simon Peter! Yet, in both of these passages, we too learn that John is known, not only as the Usain Bolt of his time. He too is known by all as the “one whom Jesus loves.” John goes to great lengths to bring credibility to each word he writes of the Christ and his time with the beloved. And, from the first word of this ever-popular verse, John 3:16, John wants to make this abundantly clear to the reader that it is, “for…” remember the definition of the word “for” in the Greek: For /Greek/ gar = Because of this very reason; with no doubt.

Again, John wants to make this abundantly clear to the reader that it is, “for - - both because of and with no doubt” that God Himself has such an overwhelming love for the world that He is about to do something that will be incomprehensible and unfathomable to all of humanity. You see…

John wants to articulate this message profusely and without any uncertainty that this gift of God’s Son is only possible for, “because,” God made it possible.

Secondly, we know that…Love Begins Here because…

2. God so loved the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. Because of love, God gave His son. There is to be no doubt it is God’s love that propelled Him to do the unthinkable. I feel extremely confident that I can say: Every single one of you would die, without hesitation, for another. Are not I right? I believe I am. You would die for another because, “Why?” Love. We studied this verse just a few weeks ago. And it is a powerful verse:

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13

But consider this…

Would I die for one whom I do not know?
Would I die for one whom is my enemy?
Would I die for one whom I do not love?
Would I die for one who kills my spouse? 
Would I die for one who kills my child? 

Or what about this question…

Would I die for one who killed the Christ?

These 6 questions are extremely personal. However, the following set of questions are indescribably personal and even more intimate. And, let me too forewarn…These next questions are probably the hardest questions I have ever proposed to you as your Pastor!

Would I let my child die for one whom I do not know?
Would I let my child die for one whom is my enemy?
Would I let my child die for one whom I do not love?
Would I let my child die for one who kills my spouse?
Would I let my child die for one who killed the Christ?

God did.

These questions are so very hard to answer. I am still struggling with them. And, with full disclosure, I am not so sure that I would be proud, nor would you be proud of me to hear my answers! Say John 3:16 with me again…For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Why is this so important for you and for me to understand? It’s really simple.

If it were not for God’s love, I would forever be separated from God. If it were not for God’s love, I would forever be condemned by God. If it were not for God’s love, I would forever be dead to God.

These three statements I have just shared with you are summarized so eloquently in this one passage:

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:17

Love begins here, Church! In spite of humanities sins… for God so loved the world! Thirdly…and then we will continue dichotomizing this passage next week …

3. God gave His one and only Son. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. The story of Jesus begins here. The message of Christmas begins here. The reason for the birth of our Savior begins here. Love begins here. This kind of love is a love that is mostly impossible to understand. I’ve tried all week to wrap my head around the concept of loving someone so much that you would allow your child to die. I cannot. I cannot comprehend the notion of allowing either of my daughters, Bailey nor Brynnan, to die for another; to die for anyone; to die for you. I presume for every parent here today, you too struggle with such a proposition. However, this is precisely what God did. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all… Romans 8:32a

It is because of God that Jesus loved.  It is because of God that Jesus lived. It is because of God that Jesus died.

Did you know that there are more than 100 verses throughout the Old and New Testaments that speak of this very truth – the truth that God sent His only Son to live and die for all of humanity? Here are a few. And as you listen, I plead with you to listen as if you have never heard these truths before:

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:2-3

We especially read of this gift, Jesus Christ, that our Heavenly Father gave as we read the Christmas story recorded in the book of Luke. The angel who visited Mary said exactly this:

The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

God can be my hope if I lean into Him rather than run from Him.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:5-6

Scripture over and again both confirms for me and affords to me this reality: God gave His Son to be my hope and my redeemer and my provider. As we end today, I want to point out another one fascinating read for us in the Greek that can help you capture the true essence of what it is that God did for us with the birth of His Son. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. The word “gave” is an enormous catalyst in this story where love begins here.  When I understand the “gave,” I too then understand why love begins here.

This time of year we think a lot about “giving.” We gather with friends, we have parties, we toast the season, and we often give to one another. It is my hope that as you think about “giving” this Christmas, you will think about the unique and equally unimaginable way in which God gave at that first Christmas when His Son, Jesus, left heaven and came to earth knowing what was awaiting Him! Let me expound…

I adore my older daughter Bailey Faith. She is super compassionate. She is smart. She is beautiful. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She is ridiculously loyal and honest and trustworthy. She is a great worship leader. She is the absolute best sister to Brynnan Grace. Speaking of Brynnan Grace, I too adore her. She is 19 yet lives and acts and loves and prays like she is 29! She is beautiful and smart and full of grace and love and joy. She never meets a stranger, and she is always thinking of others and hoping for the best in others. She is an encourager and y’all may not know this, but she too is a fantastic musician. (The worship team is waiting for you Brynnan!) To imagine giving of my daughters in the way in which God gave His Son is unimaginable! This word “gave” is a gamechanger! We see the usage of this Greek word in one other place in Scripture. It’s in Romans 8:32. We looked at this verse a few moments ago. Read it again, and as you do, notice the usage of the word “gave.”

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

Why is this such an important word to help us in our understanding of what God did by giving… Well… I’ll let this Greek word speak for itself: Gave / Greek/ paradidomi = to betray; to deliver to prison; slapped in the face; to hand over to an enemy for exchange

Do you see this?! Again, we often think of “giving,” especially this time of year in a way that is joyful; that is gift-giving; that is fun; that is as a child opening a gift from a loving parent on Christmas day! But… this “give” is entirely different.

The “give” God gave is:
Betrayal.
Heartache.
Pain.
Bloody.
Payment for sin.
Death.

There is not a person on this planet who can give such a gift. Yet such a gift is given for every person on the planet. The Greek word “give” in John 3:16 is not a good word.  But the word “give” is a life-giving word.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.