God Is With Us

Scriptures: Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:15-20

The Perfect Christmas?

She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. -Luke 2:7 

While shopping one Christmas, I entered a store with a huge sign that declared, “The Perfect Christmas.” I guess the idea was that if you bought gifts there, it would help guarantee that your Christmas would be flawless. We’d all like a “perfect” Christmas, but what does that even look like? Are we thinking about our favorite Christmas card, movie, or carol? 

If we think back to the first Christmas, we find a humble couple who had traveled for miles and miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to comply with a census. 

“While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them” (Luke 2:6-7). 

Jesus’ first bed was a manger or feeding trough for animals. The guests who helped welcome the newborn were shepherds who were outcasts in that society (vv. 15-16). Doesn’t sound too perfect, does it? 

The perfect part of Christmas is Jesus coming to earth to save us from our sins. “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (v. 11). 

Let’s not get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, but instead remember that Christmas is about Christ. Jesus, who is perfect, came into our imperfect world to offer peace and salvation from our sins. 

Nancy Gavilanes 

What does the perfect Christmas look like to you? How can you celebrate Christ this Christmas?

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming and redeeming me.

Scriptures: Psalms 23

He’s Present

You are close beside me. -Psalm 23:4 

In his final year of life, my father suffered from hallucinations—he called them “vivid dreams”—a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. He lived in a confusing twilight of drowsy wakefulness and dream sleep. 

Once in the middle of the night, he called me. He said he was in a strange place that seemed real to him. It was a vivid dream, yet he was awake. 

In a crackly voice, he asked, “Ken, are you real?” 

It was heartbreaking, but I managed to reply, “Yes, Dad, I’m here with you now. For real.” 

Often, we find ourselves in a strange place, wondering if God is real, desperately needing His presence. In such times we turn to the comfort of Psalm 23 and its message: 

God is with us. For real. 

He walks with us through “green meadows” and “peaceful streams” (v. 2) and through our “darkest valley” (v. 4). It’s an extraordinary picture of the intimate presence of God, culminating in the whispered promise, “You are close beside me” (v. 4). This promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who came to live among us. 

At the end, my dad was in an unconscious dream state in hospice. But when I started singing a hymn he loved, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” Dad slowly turned in his bed, looked up to heaven, and started singing with me: “I sing because I’m happy . . . He watches over me.” 

I couldn’t break through Dad’s mental fog. But God could. God was present with my father. And He’s present with you. Right now. In this moment. For real. 

Kenneth Petersen 

When do you most feel the presence of God? When do you feel He isn’t real in your life?

Dear God, I seek Your comfort. Please help me feel Your presence in my life.

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-24

God Is with Us

The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. -Matthew 1:23 

The first Christmas after a loss in our family was different. 

Our usual traditions, such as hosting a festive Christmas Eve dinner, didn’t happen. Instead, we tried—some days better than others—to focus on the gift of God becoming human to be with us. 

That is, Immanuel, who would comfort us in our grief and reassure us of His presence. 

This idea of Jesus as Immanuel in Matthew is unique to the Gospels. 

Matthew tells the story through Joseph’s eyes, the man to whom Mary was pledged to be married. In the ancient Near East, a betrothal was a legally binding covenant. So when Joseph found out that Mary was expecting a child who wasn’t his own, he pondered how not to “disgrace her publicly” and to “break the engagement quietly” (Matthew 1:19). 

But God’s angel reassured him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit (v. 20). The angel quoted the prophet Isaiah, saying the child would be Immanuel, “God is with us” (v. 23). 

For Joseph, “God is with us” meant a unique invitation to accept Mary as his wife and raise this amazing child. For believers in Jesus, “God is with us” means the promise that we’ll never be alone, whether we face grief, pain, or hardship. 

May we cling to that truth as we celebrate the gift of Immanuel. 

Amy Boucher Pye 

How could your life change if each day you considered that Jesus was present with you? How could you incorporate this practice of pausing and remembering Him in your daily routine?

Dear Jesus, You’re with me every day. Please help me to be conscious of this wonderful and life-changing truth.

Scriptures: Isaiah 7:1-4, Isaiah 7:10-14

Jesus, Our Immanuel

The Lord himself will give you the sign. -Isaiah 7:14 

Tim, Nathan, and Bruce evoked fear in the junior high students among us. Any one of the trio was a threat; together they were even more menacing. 

One evening at a party, I was called outside to “meet with them.” I went, but not without anxiety and fear. 

Something happened, however, that brought me relief. Paul, a confident upperclassman, came outside with me. His presence was a gamechanger. 

In Isaiah 7, Judah’s King Ahaz was faced with a coalition that shook him and his followers to the core (vv. 1-2). But God had a word for him, “Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers” (v. 4). 

God also had a sign for those paralyzed by the presence of invading forces: “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’)” (v. 14). The sign was the birth of one whose name meant “God is with us.” 

Roughly seven centuries later, the gospel writer Matthew saw the birth of Jesus as a fulfillment of this prophecy (see Matthew 1:23). The life and ministry of Jesus was a gamechanger, demonstrating what things look like when God is with us. 

Life changes for the weary, anxious, and fearful. Forgiveness is granted to all who receive this amazing gift. 

Arthur Jackson 

What has it meant for you to believe that God has shown up in the person and work of Jesus? What about Him, as seen in the Gospels, helps you when you’re anxious and fearful?

Father, thank You for loving me and sending Jesus as a sign of Your great love for me. Blessed be Your name!

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7

The Promise of Peace

The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. . . . For a child is born to us. –Isaiah 9:5–6 

“War is over,” declared John Lennon in 1971. Yet each day the news defies his wishful thinking. 

According to one watchdog agency, the world currently endures 110 armed conflicts. 

Daily we view the grim evidence. One news photo shows a young man riding a motorbike into battle, an assault rifle slung across his back. Another depicts a woman poking forlornly through the rubble of her home. Rockets launched from over the horizon had demolished her apartment building. 

Violence has long been with us. More than seven hundred years before Christ, the people of Judah braced for a looming invasion (Isaiah 7:2). 

Then God’s prophet Isaiah made a remarkable announcement. A child called “Immanuel” would be born. His name means “God is with us” (v. 14). 

The birth of Jesus marked the entry into the world of the one who is its very light (John 8:12). 

As Isaiah promised, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). 

This Child would be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (v. 6). 

Because of Him, “The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned” (v. 5). 

“His government and its peace will never end,” Isaiah declares (v. 7). 

The promise of Immanuel is the promise of peace. We await His return to reign as the Prince of Peace. 

Tim Gustafson 

How do you feel when you see so many reports of war? How does Jesus’ promise of peace bring you real hope?

Dear Prince of Peace, I long for the day when You’ll rule with fairness and justice.

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-15

Away in England

This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” -Matthew 2:15 

I didn’t anticipate that singing a carol at church would jolt me with surprise and pain, but that’s what happened during my first Christmas in England. 

I’d left my home country and lived here for nearly a year after marrying an Englishman, and I found the adjustment challenging. I hadn’t reckoned on church being so hard, with the different customs unsettling me. And when from the piano wafted a strange (to me) tune for “Away in a Manger,” I blinked back my tears. I was happy to be married to my husband but sad to be away from the familiar. 

Yet singing this particular carol was fitting during that unsettling time. After all, the first line details Jesus being born, “Away in the manger, no crib for a bed.” 

Not only was He born in humble circumstances, but as a toddler He also fled from Herod. God’s angel warned Joseph in a dream to leave: “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother” (Matthew 2:13). 

Jesus was kept safe, but He knew what it felt like to be displaced. It was a feeling He experienced throughout His earthly life—away from His Father in heaven. 

We don’t need to change locations to feel out of place; pangs of longing can come at any moment and in any place. When they do, we can turn to the one who suffered and grieved. His birth and His presence bring us hope and strength. 

Amy Boucher Pye 

When have you been surprised by an ache or a yearning? In those moments, how can you turn to Jesus?

Dear God who became Man, You felt the ultimate dislocation when You came to earth as a baby. When I feel lost, please help me look to You for comfort.

Scriptures: John 1:1-15, John 1:14-18

Jesus’ Earthly Tent

The Word became human and made his home among us. -John 1:14 

When my wife and I visited the historic Yorktown battleground in Virginia, we learned much about that decisive battle in America’s war for independence. 

The woman at the guest center pointed our attention to a display containing the remnants of the tent of George Washington, the leader of the Continental Army. During the siege of Yorktown in 1781, Washington lived in that very tent. 

Seeing a 250-year-old tent with such historical value was impressive. Yet consider the “tent” Jesus lived in. 

The apostle John wrote of this tent, “The Word became human and made his home among us” (John 1:14). The phrase “made his home” can be translated tabernacled. As God’s presence blessed the tent of meeting—the Tabernacle (see Exodus 40)—Christ came and blessed us by dwelling in a tent of human flesh. 

The apostle Paul would write of the “earthly tent” in which we dwell—that is, our human bodies (2 Corinthians 5:1). Remarkably, Jesus chose to live in just such a dwelling. This is the real significance of His birth. 

Philippians 2:5-11 recounts how Christ humbled Himself, left the presence of the Father, and came to earth in the form of a servant to go to the cross for our redemption. 

Jesus lived in a tent of humanity—a visible demonstration of His love for us. 

Bill Crowder 

What’s difficult about dwelling in your “earthly tent”—your body? How does it help you to know that Jesus also lived in such a body?

Living God, I give You thanks for the life Jesus came to live and for the life He makes available to me.

Scripture: Psalms 139:1-10

Our Path, His Presence

Your hand will guide me. -Psalm 139:10 

The Appalachian Trail has tested wilderness hikers since its completion in 1937. But the trail itself has been tested too. 

Since its opening, the Georgia-to-Maine path in the US has been shifted, shrunk, stretched, and redesigned to its present 2,200 miles. 

Said wilderness hiker Bill Bryson about traveling the trail, “What is certain is that it’s a long way and from either end it’s not easy.” 

Life’s path can often feel just as difficult—an uncertain, shifting road that we travel down (Psalm 139:3). What joy to know that God is with us every step of the way. 

As David wrote, “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head” (v. 5). He marveled at God’s attentiveness. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (v. 6). God’s ever-present Spirit comforted David in his most troubling moments. “If I dwell by the farthest oceans,” he wrote, “even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (vv. 9-10). 

There was nowhere the psalmist could walk that he wouldn’t experience God’s presence. 

Christ’s incarnation means that we can enjoy His presence in every trial or situation. 

Before He left His disciples, He told them, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you” (John 14:16). Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection changed everything. 

We never walk alone. 

Patricia Raybon 

Where does life’s path feel confusing? How will you seek God’s guiding presence?

Please guide me today, dear God, as I walk life’s path.

Scripture: Titus 3:1-8

God’s Kindness Brings Us Home

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us. -Titus 3:4–5 

After decades of fighting, Colombia’s military tried a new approach to get guerilla groups to surrender—a Christmas campaign. 

It involved decorating trees near the insurgents’ jungle base with lights triggered by motion sensors. When a rebel approached, the Christmas tree lit up and a message read, “If Christmas can come to the jungle, you too can come home. Demobilize. At Christmas, everything is possible.” 

More than 330 rebels demobilized. 

The following year, friends and relatives wrote Christmas letters to the rebels, asking them to come home, which were placed in thousands of beautiful glowing balls and floated down the jungle’s rivers. 

More rebels laid down their arms. For this group of guerillas, kindness helped them come home. 

It reminds me of God’s ways with us. 

For while we rebellious humans have long fought against Him (Titus 3:3), “When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us,” Paul says, “because of his mercy” (vv. 4–5). 

Although God’s judgment of us is warranted, He’s delaying it, waiting patiently for us to return (2 Peter 3:9). God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). 

The God of the universe, who has heaven’s armies at His command, chooses to win us not with force, but kindness. Let’s lay down our weapons and come home. 

Sheridan Voysey 

How can you respond to God’s kindness today? Why is it vital for you to receive His peace and turn your life over to Him?

Father God, Your kindness to me is astonishing. Thank You for loving me back into relationship with You.

Scripture: Revelation 22:12-21

Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, Lord Jesus! –Revelation 22:20 

As the video captured the beauty of locations around Israel, a solitary voice sang out, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” 

The vocalist alternated between English and Hebrew as the melancholy music captivated me. 

Even though I’d sung the traditional Advent carol every year at Christmas, I heard something I hadn’t noticed before—an earnest pleading for Christ to come again. 

The lyrics look back, crying out for a rescuer to come and save Israel who “mourns in lonely exile here.” Before Jesus’ first coming, the Jewish people were waiting and longing for someone to come and rescue them from their captivity. 

At Christmas, we sing with joy because Christ, also called Immanuel, or “God with us,” came as a baby in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. 

But the song continues to ask Jesus to “come” because we still wait. Now we long for His second coming, when He will rescue us from the struggles of this world. 

Throughout the book of Revelation, we read His promise, “I am coming soon!” (Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12). A holy longing for the fulfillment of that promise causes us to respond in agreement, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20). 

Relevant for more than just the Advent season, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a year-round prayer of our longing for Jesus to return and wipe away every tear (21:4) and make all things right. 

Lisa M. Samra 

Why do you long for Jesus to come again? Why do you think “Come, Lord Jesus,” is among Scripture’s final words?

Come, Lord Jesus, come and be my Prince of Peace.

Conclusion:

More than two thousand years ago, God entered our broken world, broken dreams, and broken lives. He came alongside us in our pain and showed us that He cares. He came to earth in the form of a man, making the invisible God visible to us. Jesus is the fulfillment of a promise made thousands of years ago: 

“The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)”

Isaiah 7:14