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 A collective reflection on Hope, Peace, Joy, and LoveMonday, December 9, 2024 |
| God Is Closer Than You Think Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14 When Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ birth, he uses this ancient Hebrew word that is rich with meaning—Immanuel. The word takes us back to a promise God made 700 years before through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel literally means “the with-us God.” He is not just the God who is above us. He is not just the God who thinks about us. He is the with-us God. That’s the whole message and power of Christmas—that no matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what you face, God is closer than you think. If there’s a danger at Christmas, it’s that the message and power of Christmas has lost its effect on us. We grow too familiar with it, and we forget how scandalous a claim it is that God stepped over the threshold of time and space to come into his own creation and live within it. The author of human history wrote himself into our story. The painter stepped into his own painting. As CS Lewis wrote, “Once in our world, a manger had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” The gift of Immanuel doesn’t just mean that God is with us; it means that God is with you. As you read the story of Joseph and Mary, try to wonder what this was like for them. They were just a couple of young kids on their way to be married when their plans were interrupted, and the only explanation they could give people was that it happened through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Think of the accusations and the gossip they endured. Think of their loneliness and rejection. Then a census was called that forced them to travel away from their home to a crowded town where young Mary would experience her first labor in the most difficult of circumstances. How did they make it through all this? It was only by knowing the promise of Immanuel. They knew that the God who was with Adam and Eve in the garden, the God who was with the Israelites in the desert, Moses on the mountain, and Daniel in the lion’s den—that God was with them, too. And that God is with you, friends. This means there is no struggle, no situation, no season in your life that God is not with you. Whatever you may be facing this Christmas, hear this: If God could travel from the majesty of heaven to a mere manger, then there is no life that is too messy or messed up or mundane for him to show up in. God is with you. By Brad Herndon PRAYER FOR TODAY God, thank you for coming near all those years ago, and for being a “with-us” God in every moment of every day. When we face seemingly impossible circumstances, help us sense your presence. Help us learn to trust that you’ve got us, and to turn toward you at the heights, and in the depths of our mess. |
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