12th Truth of Christmas- Emmanuel, God With Us

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, the 12th and final truth that I am focusing on this Christmas. In my opinion, this truth is the epitome of Christmas, the one truth that stands out to me the most during this season.

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

Emmanuel- God with us.

This is the very greatest truth of Christmas. This is also one of the most amazing truths of Christianity. We worship the True and Living God, Who sent His Only Son down to earth to live among us.

Down here on earth, among the filth, the suffering, and the sin, Jesus willingly came down to be a part of our world. He was born like any human baby; he ate, slept, and grew as a human. He felt pain, sorrow, and joy. He experienced physical life as one of us.

God could have just swept in with a mighty force and solved everything wrong in our broken world. But He didn't; instead, He chose to come and be among us. To feel what we feel, to see what we see. He took the time to understand us, and then He gave us a way to be rescued.

God is a relational God. He created human beings in His Image so that we might have fellowship with Him. In the Garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve as their Friend. When sin entered into the world, that relationship and connection was broken. Jesus was the link that renewed that chain of connection.

I find it incredibly beautiful that God chose to reestablish relationship with mankind by being among us first, living as we do. The greatest way to earn someone's trust and friendship is to live life alongside them. To feel what they feel, to see what they see.

Did you read that story that was recently in the news about the barber and the little boy with autism? An autistic little boy did not want to get his hair cut, and the barber had already tried several times unsuccessfully to cut the child's hair. Finally, the barber decided to get down on the floor with the boy, who seemed more comfortable hanging out on the ground while playing with his father's phone. The barber got down on the boy's level, and cut his hair.

This story is a wonderful analogy of what God did for us. He didn't try to force His relationship on us, even though we desperately needed it, just like that little boy needed a haircut. Instead, God got down on our level and entered into our world.

I don't know about you, but I have a much easier time having faith and trust in a God Who understands where I am coming from. It is so encouraging to go through life and my faith knowing that Jesus has also felt everything that I experience, both the good and the bad.

The knowledge that God went to such lengths just to have a relationship with me thrills me to the core of my being. It fills me with joy to accept that gift of offered relationship and eternal life. God has proven His desire for relationship, and I count it a privilege to be called His friend.

God is so loving,  and He is so real. He knows us intimately. He knows our both our spiritual and our physical needs. He understands our frailty, and our fear. Whatever you are going through in your life, be it good, bad, or a bit of both, God understands.

This season we celebrate Emmanuel, who is God with us.

Thank you for joining me on this journey through 12 Truths of Christmas. This season, I pray that we may all choose joy. Let us embrace our peace on earth, and have goodwill towards men. I encourage you to be a Christmas light this year, lighting up our dark world. May we look for and appreciate the gifts in disguise. May we all look for the star.

Despite the craziness of this life, let us rest in the knowledge that we are right on time. Despite all the places where we feel inadequate, let us be ready for a Savior. I pray that we may discover the beauty in the stable. I pray that we would embrace the journey, and the surprises that come along the way. Let us celebrate the life that we have been given.

Merry Christmas, dear ones, may this season bring you light and life. Peace be with you in the name of Jesus our Redeemer, Amen.

4th Truth of Christmas- Gifts in Disguise

Have you ever tried to wrap a gift that is perfectly shaped to tell the recipient exactly what they are getting? You stare at it a moment, trying to figure out how to disguise the gift. This has become almost an art form at my house, you would not believe the things we have used to disguise presents.

The best part is seeing the look of surprise and delight on someone's face when they open your disguised gift. They think they are getting one thing, but instead, they end up with something entirely different.

Does this sound familiar?

When most Jews in Israel thought of the Messiah, they pictured a strong warrior king who would save them from the grip of Rome. Who in their right mind would have expected the Messiah to come as a fragile newborn? I can almost just see God chuckling to Himself as He took everyone by surprise.

The Greatest Gift that was ever given came in a disguised package.

Can't you just hear the people saying, "But God, what good is a baby going to do? We need a King, a warrior! Why are you sending someone who needs to be fed, changed, and put down for a nap every two hours?"
It would have been hard to comprehend how a baby could solve the problems that the folks of Judea faced in their time.

Have you ever gotten a gift that seemed useless at the time, but then later, after you had used it, it became one of your favorite gifts you ever received?

I can remember being about eight or nine, and I received three books on tape. When I first opened the present, I felt a great sinking of disappointment in my soul. Hooray, some boring looking cassette tapes. But later on, when I started listening to them, I realized what a treasure I had been given. I gained hours upon hours of pleasure from listening to those tapes over and over again. I received much more pleasure from those tapes than I would have from many other items that gave only short term pleasure. That gift also met many needs in my life, ones that I didn't even know I had until I received the provision to meet them.

Gifts in disguise can come two ways. (1) A gift can appear one way, but in truth, it is something else. (2) We can look at a gift through one perspective and not see the value, but when we shift our perspective, the gift suddenly can take on new meaning and purpose.

When travelers passed by Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus, they would never have expected that the answer to their cries for help was wrapped up in swaddling clothes. They might have smiled at the cute little family, but realize they were staring into the face of their Messiah....never!

And then later, when Jesus did reveal Himself, the people couldn't wrap their brains around the fact that He was not there to save them from Rome, but rather, from sin? No! This could not be, sin was not their problem, Rome was!

Right?

Wrong. Rome was the short-term problem, while sin was the long-term issue. A few in that time had actually done their homework, and were open and ready to receive Jesus when He came to them, even if his appearance took them by surprise. They were prepared to receive the gift. Others didn't learn of their need until they met Jesus, and then, suddenly, it made sense.

Suppose Jesus had actually come in the package people expected. What if He had come wrapped the way everyone expected? If Jesus had come like a King, would He have gotten through to anyone? Would they have even realized their true need for redemption from sin?

Jesus came in a strange and unexpected way. He forced people to rethink their perspectives and priorities. He forced them to also think about the real issues in their hearts, rather than just the temporary issues in their lives. He rescued people in a way they didn't even know they needed rescuing.

Sometimes I have something given to me in life that I don't understand. For instance, this house my family lives in is a mess. It's ugly, cramped, breaking down, and on and on and on. This house doesn't seem like much of a gift. And yet, this house enabled our family to go through a transition that opened up our lives for so much blessing and growth financially. We moved because of a new job opportunity for my dad which has only grown over time.

When I ask God to help me be more patient, I get put in a lot of situations that make my hair curl. And I go to Him whining saying, "This is not what I asked for; this is not what You were supposed to send."
But then, my perspective changes, I am forced to be uncomfortable and to think about things differently. And then....I learn patience.

There are gifts waiting in disguise all around us,  both during this Christmas season, and for the rest of the year. If you think something in your life is one way, look at it again. You might have missed something.

God is all-knowing and unbelievably creative. He knows our needs better than we know them. He has this all figured out. This Christmas, I want to look for gifts in disguise.

Because the disguised gifts, are often the best gifts of all.

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Want to read the other Truths of Christmas? Catch up with 1, 2, and 3.

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