For the past couple of weeks I've been reflecting on the Christmas Story (not the movie with the goofy kid and the creepy leg lamp - the actual story found in the Bible). A lot of times as Christians we don't give much thought to the story of Jesus' birth until we get to this time of year. We talk a lot about the cross and the resurrection, the teachings and the miracles of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts and lots of other very important parts of Scripture, and rightly so, as those things are key to our faith.
However, I think that sometimes causes us to lose site of the amazing miracle that is the Christmas Story. God, the same God who created the Universe, became a human being and came to live among us. When the angel appeared to Joseph he said that the people would call Jesus "Immanuel" meaning "God with us." The divine ruler of all Creation came to be with humanity, with you and with me. He came to experience what we experience - temptation and grief, loneliness and rejection, pain and anguish, love and joy, forgiveness and triumph.
The ongoing miracle of Christmas is that Jesus is still "God with us." He is not some god who is far off and distant, mocking us in our struggles and weaknesses. Instead, he sympathizes with our situation. His last words to his disciples were that he is with us always to the very end. Sometimes I go through periods when it feels like God is a million miles away. When I do I just remind myself that Jesus is still Immanuel.
How about you? How has Jesus been Immanuel to you lately?
