not merely wishful thinking

and we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world

The fact that God has demonstrated his love reassures us that Christmas is not merely wishful thinking or a blind hope. It is grounded in the reality that God himself has come to dwell with us. As the old Christmas hymn says,

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail the Incarnate Deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

God demonstrated his love through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and he did not wait for us to earn that love. He did it "while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8). And if we received such love while we were sinners, how can we doubt that God will stop loving us now that we have been reconciled to him (Romans 5:9-10)? Along with the apostle John, we should be able to testify with confidence that "the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14).

(From a Radical Ministries Advent Devotional)

May the truth that God is pleased with you, loves you, and sent Jesus to secure you as his own—ALL of it a GIFT, none of it earned—bring you great joy as you celebrate, open gifts, drink egg nog, and eat mounds of Christmas cookies.

Merry Christmas, dear reader!