Christmas is a blessed time to spend with family and friends - sharing gifts, partaking in wonderful meals, and just relaxing. Yet, for many it is also a time of heartache and sorrow. Some ahve lost family members around this time of year, others do not have families of their own to bless and enjoy. For others, life has hit them hard and they cannot afford to buy presents or purchase the lavish meals.
But, Christmas for all of its money driven consumerism, is still a meaningful time of year for one fact…and one fact only.
We are celebrating the birth of our blesses Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And while we are celebrating Christmas, we can get lost in all the “baby Jesus” cutesy stuff. But there is a deeper, more impactful concept at play - especailly for us who live 2000 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That concept is that of “God with us!”…
In the Old Testament where were physical manifestations fo the spiritual God (Yahweh), and there were physical manifestations of the pre-incarnate Jesus (as the Angel of the Lord). And at times prophets, kings and the like were filled with the ‘Spirit of the Lord’ - this means that the Trinity is fully established and is active in the Old Testament times. God was with HIS people, and those that chose to follow HIM.
But, the fullness of ‘God with Us’ was not completed until the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Which is precisely what billions around the world are celebrating in the coming days.
In the Old Testament, it was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah that in the time to come, God would provide a saviour for humanity, and that saviour would come as a personification of HIMSELF.
Isaiah 7:14 prophesied about the coming of Jesus where is says “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
Then this was echoed in the account of the disciple Matthew, who noted the birth of Jesus (after HIS genealogy).
Parts of that story are told in Matthew 1:18-24 which tells us of the birth of Jesus - it says…
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”
There are several deeply important aspects of this description of events surrounding the birth of Jesus, these are:
A) His conception was a divine miracle and invovled the Holy Spirit.
B) That HE will be the saviour of the world, because…
C) HE is “GOD WITH US!!!”
Jesus came died and rose again so that we can be forgiven, and washed clean of our sinful nature, so that we can be in a right relationship with God that extends beyond this physical, mortal life of ours into eternity.
Yes, Joseph was a genetleman and was thinking of Mary’s situation when she fell pregnant prior to their marriage. But, it was the intervention of an angelic being that changed his ‘worldly’ perspective to a ‘heavenly’ perspective.
In our own lives, sometimes we have good intentions and are trying to right by our families, friends and community - but that isn’t the direction or perspective God wants us to have. We need to be open to the direction God has for us. Even though it may be a good thing - God may not want us to have it, to be invovled in it, or to compelte it.
We need to be like Joseph and step into that void in faith and beleive that God has our back, and will guide us.
Something else to consider is that Jesus is not here on Earth with us - so how can God be with us?
In John 14:15-17, Jesus is telling HIS disciples about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - it says, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
For us, in this modern world in which we live, Jesus is not physically present. So, we as believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit being a counsellor, an advocate (a person who speaks on our behalf) and a guide for us - just as Jesus was a guide and counselor to HIS disciples, and HE is an advocate for us in heaven.
This is the blessing of Jesus (aside from the forgiveness of sins) that lives on - and it is the continuation of God being present in the lives of HIS people, those that believe in HIM. It is an echo of what used to be the relationship in Eden. The presence of the Holy Spirit in believers is the link to the divine, and is the tie that binds us to God’s future for us.
The birth of a Jewish child in a town, in the families animal barn, during a Roman census - in and of itself - is a not a noteworthy event. Christmas would not be something we celebrate if it weren’t for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This Christmas take the time to thank Jesus for the gift of eternal life that HE has blessed you with - it is a gift that is greater than anything our families and friends can bestow on us. It is the only gift we need. In fact, if everything was taken from us (like Job), the presence of ‘God with us’ is all that matters - our relationship with God is all that matters.
And as we start to see the world around us come apart at the seems, we need to draw all the more closer to God, who is with us each and every day.
So, I pray that whether you have much, or little - whether your Christmas is a blessed time or not - that you place all your trust in God, not in man, nor the things of man (including the things you receive these holidays). May you focus on actions of Jesus, and the renewal of your relationship with God.
May you be blessed these Christmas and New Year Holidays…