The Gift of ChristmasEgzanp

The Presence of a Savior

Christmas is always special because of our time with family, our holiday traditions, yummy foods, special gatherings and events, colorful decorations, and the fun of giving and receiving gifts. But Christmas is all about one thing, or better yet, one Person.  

Christmas is Christmas... because of Jesus. It is all about the reality of God coming to earth in human flesh. One of the names for Jesus is Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Think of that for a moment. God has come to dwell with us. God loves us so much that He would come to be with us, and this is why we celebrate Christmas.

The Gospel of John begins with the statement, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." A few verses later, this statement is amplified with the declaration that "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." "The Word became flesh" speaks directly to Christmas. It speaks of Jesus.

Emmanuel, "God with us!" 

God took on human flesh and lived with us in human history. God endured the frailties of being human, was tempted at all points as we are, yet never committed any sin. He felt our emotions as he wept over Jerusalem and Lazarus, His friend. He experienced complete agony in the garden of Gethsemane and physical suffering in His torture and crucifixion. What an amazing thing that God came not only to be with us but to identify fully and completely with us in our humanity.  

This means that there is never a time, never a situation, never a moment when God is not available for us. He is not "God was once with us," but He is "God with us." 

When Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came to be in us. God has come to dwell in human flesh through the incarnation of Jesus, and God has come to dwell in our lives through the Holy Spirit. 

"Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!"