His Name Shall Be Emmanuel

One of my favorite verses in the Gospels about the Birth of Christ is St. Matthew 1:23: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child..., and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us."

It fills me with awe and wonder to think that the God who made the universe and everything in it would take the form of a baby to become like me. The very thought also stirs humility and deep honor in me - The Almighty and Everlasting God gave up heaven to be with me! Incredible!

However, what I like to think about most is that - as the His Name Emmanuel indicates - God is always with me and you! God is with us when the night is long and dark; God is with us when the bills start pouring in; God is with us when dear friends move on; God is with us when loved ones are called home; God is with us in times of affliction and illness; God is with us when we feel like giving up; God is with when we stumble; God is with us equipping us for the journey; God is with us ordering our steps through the pathway of life; God is with us...! Alleluia! This gives me great joy, peace and comfort in the midst of my storms. It means that "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming" (Psalm 30:5), because God is with us.

It also means that we can live the abundant life that Jesus offers in St. John 10:10 - "...I am come that you might have life...abundantly." Wait a minute. This speaks of now. Each day we get up we can bask in the joy of knowing that God is with us making life wholesome - better. But what about tomorrow? Well, the story does not end here.

God coming to be with us opened the door to something greater, as described in Colossians 1:27 - "...Christ in you, the hope of glory." Yes, not only is God with us, but by coming to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ, who eventually gave His life for us, God is now in us (those who have accepted the gift of Jesus). Who am I that God should dwell in me? "O wretched man that I am!" But thanks be to God, I have accepted the gift of His Son - Jesus Christ - and have opened my door to Him. Now He lives in me and in all those who have done the same.

What a glorious time Christmas is! God came to be with us - ungodly mankind - and offered His Son as the Greatest Gift, who now lives in us! His presence in us establishes covenant and a lasting relationship - we are forever sons and daughters of the Everlasting God, if we choose to keep this unlikely resident within us (in St. John 10, Jesus says, "...no man can pluck them [us] out of my hands." Beautiful!)

If you have not done so yet, I encourage you to accept God's gift today and you will experience the JOY of Christmas - every day of the year.

Merry Christmas!!!