He is Immanuel.

'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth' (John 1:14 NIV).

It’s Christmas day and we have so much to celebrate!

God is with us – He is Immanuel.

In John 1:14, we read that ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…’ The New Christian Version renders the same verse like this: ‘The word became a human and lived among us.’

God became a man – flesh and blood. For thirty-three years he lives as a human on earth, he feels everything that you and I feel. The early disciples saw him and heard from his mouth what he had to teach. He was real and personal, not abstract and remote, not distant or uncaring.

This is our eternal God, the one who reaches into humanity and is within reach of us ordinary human beings. This is our eternal God, the one who is touchable, with a face with human form in the here and now. This birth, the birth of Jesus, is the culmination of the prophecy foretold by Isaiah hundreds of years before. God has become a human!

It seems difficult at times for us to comprehend the magnitude of this gift to each of us. To fully grasp the extent of this grace, this love for humankind. God is with us.

Even today, as people struggle to understand who God is and what God is like, we have assurance through his word and through our own experience of him that we can point to Jesus and say, ‘Here he is’!

On this Christmas Day, we recognise the truth that God is with us – whatever we face, wherever we are, his presence is with us. As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Immanuel, God with us, may we join with the Apostle Paul in declaring:

‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’ (2 Corinthians 9:15)

We receive a gift we could not earn nor could ever deserve – what an extravagant gift from God.

For reflection:

In what ways does the truth that God is with us encourage and bless your life?

Prayer:

Father God,

Today, we join with Christians around the globe in celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus. He entered our world not like a human but as a human.

Thank you for this indescribable gift.

We acknowledge your grace and love for each of us.

Help us to live each day with the awareness that you are with us and that whatever we may face, we can know your presence, strength and power.

Amen.