WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT CHRISTMAS?

There is such a thing as the ministry of presence. I have seen it on many occasions. It’s not flashy. And it doesn’t create headlines. But often, our presence is the most meaningful gift we can give someone.

Recently, our family traveled to Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with family. We had five adults and eleven children all sleeping in one house! Unfortunately, our youngest child Ezra was sick for several days while we were there. He didn’t have a fever and showed very few symptoms, but he was physically drained and clingy.

One of the things I love most about Christina is how she cares for our four kids. She is the one they look to when they hurt themselves or need extra help with homework. She is their safety net.

While in Dallas, Ezra would leave his room for 30-40 minutes of play, only to return to lie down and watch his iPad. The problem is that he wanted someone to go with him. And not just anyone - he wanted Mommy. She wanted to spend time with family, but Ezra needed her. He didn’t necessarily want her to do anything specific for him; he just wanted the comfort of her presence. He wanted to know that he wouldn’t be all alone. So she gave him a gift - the gift of her presence.

Christmas is the story of God taking on human flesh and offering his very presence as a gift to humanity.

God gave us the gift of Himself.

And the gift of God’s presence changed everything for the human race. For the first time, we could fully understand our Heavenly Father. As Jesus walked and talked among us, we better understood how God thinks about humanity and that His motives are good. We recognized his compassion and love for sinners. And we understood that He wanted to be part of our story.

When the Angel came to Joseph, the father of Jesus, he explained what was about to happen and what Joseph needed to do as a result:

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). - Matthew 1:20-23

Jesus is the most well-known name in the Bible. But it is the second of the two titles in Matthew 1:20-23, Immanuel, that is unique to the Christmas story. Immanuel is a Hebrew name that means “God with us” or “God is with us.” And it drives home the reality that God intentionally left heaven for earth in order to draw near to humanity and give us the gift of his presence.

I believe it is safe to say that “God with us” is the most important message of Christmas.

This phrase matters because it forever cements our belief that God cares about humans enough to come close. God could have withheld Himself from us. He could have stayed at a distance. But God reached out to man in order to share his presence.

God came close because He cared. He did not want us to walk alone. Like any good parent, His love motivated Him to come close and meet our needs.

In your life right now, you may feel all alone. You may feel like no one cares. You may even feel far from God. I understand all of that. They are human emotions. God encouraged me just now to tell you that He hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t given up on you. He hasn’t left you all by yourself.

You may feel alone, but you are NOT alone. You may feel like no one cares, but that is a lie of the enemy. If you have opened your heart to Immanuel, He has promised to be “God with us” to you today! And He is never going to change His mind about something He promised.

This Christmas, I encourage you to open your heart to Immanuel. If you have done so in the past, do so again. Invite Him into your life and circumstances afresh. If you have never prayed and asked God to fill your life with his presence, do so for the first time right now. Get on your knees and invite Him in. Tell Him that you want to know Him and that you are choosing to follow Him for all the days of your life. If you will invite Him in, you will never again be alone. 

———

*If this has been helpful, please send me a message and let me know. And please share this post with others who could benefit. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. You can subscribe to receive weekly emails by going to www.bradjenkins.me