"All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’”  (Matthew 1: 22, 23) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1: 1, 14)

   We read these two Scripture passages each year during Advent and Christmas. Jesus was to be called Emmanuel. That name means, “God is with us.”  In the John passage we read that the Word, which was God, put on skin and lived among us. The words, “lived among us,” literally mean set up tabernacle or set up tent in our midst. In the person of Jesus, God came to be with us.

   Max Lucado, in his book, God Came Near, talks in very earthy terms about God coming to be with us. “It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment…For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man.  While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb…The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl…God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen…God had come near.”

   Wow! Sometimes we feel more comfortable thinking of God only in terms of his divinity. We keep God distant. God lives way out there somewhere.  But at Christmas we are reminded that God has come to us; God has come near in the person of Jesus. We look at Jesus and behold the face of God.

   A spectacular birth took place in Bethlehem.  Some shepherds saw it. Later, a few wise men arrived. But many who were in town that night missed it.  They missed seeing God come to be in their midst.  Who knows? They missed the great event for several reasons. Some were too busy; the town was quite crowded because people had come to register for the tax. Some may have missed it because they were busy looking up family; the town was full of people returning to their hometown. Many missed it because they were not looking. Maybe they did not even know to look.

   But we know.  This is a busy time. There will be lots of celebrating. But let’s not miss what has happened among us. God has come to be with us. We look at Jesus and behold the glory of God. We need to look always. And look not only during this season, but in all the days after. “Glory to God in the highest….”  “…’they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’”

 Grace and Peace,

  Pastor Dan