“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

“But God...” Those two words changed everything!

Right there in Ephesians 2, Paul drops the most powerful plot twist in human history. You were spiritually flatlined—no pulse, no hope, dead in your rebellion. And that’s when His love moved heaven and earth for you!

God didn’t wait for you to clean yourself up or prove your worth. He chose to love you anyway. Not with a cautious, “let’s wait and see” kind of love. No—with a marvelous and merciful love that pursues you into your darkest places and breathes resurrection life into your lifeless soul. This same love that makes you alive with Christ is the love that sent Christ to you in the first place. The baby in Bethlehem’s manger is God’s love taking on flesh and bone, entering your broken world to rescue you from death.

Grace unearned, undeserved, and unstoppable—that’s the beating heart of Christmas. You can’t place it in a stocking. You can’t buy it in a store. You can’t wrap it up with a bow. You can only receive it with wonder and awe, opening your empty hands to the God who gives life to the dead.

As you celebrate Christmas tomorrow, remember this: every gift under the tree is merely an echo of the ultimate Gift. God’s great love doesn’t just warm your heart; it resurrects your soul! That’s the miracle you celebrate. Those two words (“But God…”) changed everything. How will you live, knowing that you’re loved like this?