It’s Real Love

John Lewis is a chain of up-market department stores operating throughout Great Britain.  I have never purchased anything from John Lewis, but they produce some great heartwarming commercials.

Their latest commercial I found to be especially touching. 
Watch it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccscUFY860

The commercial features a little boy and his pet penguin named Monty.  The little boy does everything with his pet penguin: watches television, plays hide-and-seek, jumps on the trampoline, plays under a makeshift tent in the dining room, and takes a walk in the park.  The little boy even allows Monty to sleep on his bed and feeds him some things (when his parents aren’t looking) from the dinner table.

As Christmas approaches, the little boy and Monty are watching an old movie with the boy’s parents.  The little boy looks out the window and sees snow falling.  He tries to get Monty to look at the snowflakes, but Monty is transfixed on the TV screen as a husband and wife kiss on TV.  Later when the little boy and Monty are sliding down a snow-covered hillside, Monty stops and is mesmerized by the sight of a couple walking arm in arm and gazing into each other’s eyes.  And on a bus ride home, the little boy sees Monty gazing out of the window at an elderly couple tenderly embracing on a park bench.  The little boy thinks he understands.

On Christmas morning, the little boy wakes Monty who has been sleeping at the end of his bed.  He covers Monty’s eyes as they walk into the room where the Christmas tree stands.  The little boy removes his hands and Monty sees that for which he has been longing: a female penguin with which he immediately falls in love.

As the little boy’s mother walks into the room, she smiles as she sees her son playing with two stuffed penguins – a brand new one along with one that is weathered and worn because of use, whose name is Monty.

The song that is heard during the commercial is “Real Love” (written by John Lennon and originally performed by the Beatles) performed by Tom Odell. 
The song contains these lyrics:

“Just like little girls and boys
Playing with their little toys
Seems like all they really were doing
Was waiting for love”

Even a little boy understands that we all need to have someone to love and to have that love reciprocated.  That someone also needs to be someone with whom we can relate – whether it’s a fellow penguin or a fellow person.

That’s the beauty of the Gospel message: God loves us so much that He came down to us and became “one of us” in the person of Jesus, His Son.

“For this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

God became “one of us” to demonstrate His love for us by identifying with us and then by dying for us so that we might be saved from our sins and receive the GIFT of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

God will save those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and
are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His word
(1 John 1:7).

God became “one of us” in order to save us.  That’s REAL love!
(see 1 John 4:9-10).

Won’t YOU reciprocate that great love and be saved by responding in loving obedience?

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695