The first Christmas came and went, hardly a blip on the radar. The infant Jesus was recognized by a few: some astrologers, a narcissistic king, and smelly shepherds. To say that people missed Him would be an understatement. Even if they recognized His existence and the cyclone of political intrigue surrounding Him, most still missed the real Jesus.
Even today, most of humanity doesnโt know Him. Many are missing the most powerful news of who He is and the personal, life-altering reality He brought into our world.
Too often, we focus on certain aspects of the good news of Christ: forgiveness of sins, receiving eternal life, and Godโs provision for His children. But in so doing, we miss the moment-by-moment abundance of life in Him!
This Christmas letโs tweak the prescription on our spiritual lenses in order to see the fullness of the first-century event we celebrate. Isaiahโs prophecy, uttered by evangelist Matthew, speaks of a new reality coming to earth. The person of Jesus was Godโs response to the deepest longings of humankind:
โThe virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuelโโwhich means, โGod with usโ (Matthew 1:23 NIV84).
Immanuel. In that word resides a reality often missed by 21st century believers: the real presence of deity in our everyday lives, the 24ร7 manifestation of God with us. Immanuel means for us, โChrist in you, the hope of gloryโ (Colossians 1:27 NIV).
The gift of Christ to humanity was not one with an expiration date. Jesus walked the Earth and sent in His wake the Holy Spirit, who would continue the work of empowering, teaching, and counseling the children of God. In other words, โGod with usโ came and never left.
Andrew Murray wrote of the ongoing reality of โGod with usโ in his classic, The Spirit of Christ,
โIn His name and through Him, the Holy Spirit descends as a person to dwell in believers and to make the glorified Jesus a present reality within them.โ
A present reality within them. Jesus is still Immanuel. His presence is as real in this moment as it was when He lay in a manger thousands of years ago.
As we reflect on the reality of Immanuel, letโs start a new season of abiding this Christmas. Letโs not just celebrate the gift of Jesus once a year; letโs experience Him every day as we make our home in His ever-present, all-powerful presence.
Thank you so much for this post reminding me and all who seek Him that Jesus truly is alive and always will be God with us.