God With Us?

After a long day of travel along the rough roads to Bethlehem, a young woman went into labor in the inhospitable surroundings of an animal stall. There were no welcoming nurses to greet the tiny infant or to witness his first gasp of air. Instead, he entered the world largely unnoticed. But from that moment on, the world would never be the same again.

In John 1:14 we read these words about Jesus’ birth, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul captured Jesus’ birth this way, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

On that night long ago, when the first cries of the baby Jesus were heard by livestock, the Bible tells us that God put on our flesh. He entered into our reality and submitted himself to our experience. He got up from his place of comfort and went out into our streets and lived in the beautiful and harsh landscape that is our life. He learned our language so he could speak of the wonders of a Kingdom that is so close to us we can touch it this side of eternity. He learned what it means to suffer as a human being, to feel hunger pangs, and to watch his mother witness his agonizing death.

In Matthew 1:22-23, the gospel writer said that “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."”

‘God with us’ is such a different idea than ‘God out there.’ Beyond the obvious location difference, the idea that God would come to us so that we could enter into his Kingdom is startling. One could understand a God who would call us to get to where he is if we can muster the strength. But a God who would lay aside the glory of his life in order to come down to us and take on our life so that he could lead us into his Kingdom – amazing!

I’m struck by the contrast between ‘God coming to be with us,’ and our tendency to want others to ‘come to us’ rather than us ‘go to them.’ Jesus’ example of leaving his rightful place to bring light into our dark world is the path which we should follow. Rather than staying safely tucked away in our Christian surroundings, hoping that someone out there might join us; we should be the people, who like Jesus, get up and go out to find the sick and the lost wherever they are. Only then will we be able to include them into our life together. Think of the irony of the very ones who Jesus has brought into his Kingdom choosing to sit tight while others wonder in darkness!

As we celebrate and reflect upon the God who laid it all down so that we might be lifted up, may we become the people who are not satisfied to sit and stew while the world wonders helplessly in darkness. And may you be so covered by the dust of your Master that those with whom you come in contact will really know that God is with us! Merry Christmas.