Matthew 1:18-25
“God saves” and “God with us” are the two names given in to the one who was to come in this passage. Joshua, or Jesus as we know him, is the embodiment of God’s salvation come at last. Like the Joshua who guided God’s people across the Joran into the promised land, this new Joshua (Jesus) will take God’s people through the waters of baptism into the promises of eternal salvation. The fact that God saves when we are the ones at fault in our needing to be saved, is remarkable! God does for us what we fail to be able to do for ourselves. This is the love of God in action. That love first became a baby, born into a broken creation to experience life as we experience it and to show us the most perfect way. The God who was wronged by us, became one of us, to save us.
While Joshua was a common name during that time, Immanuel was not. Can you imagine baring the name “God with us”? Not only is he the embodiment of God’s salvation. He is God with us in the flesh. While God is a mystery that can never be understood, he has made himself specially known through his withness in Jesus Christ.
If you are feeling dirty, unworthy, unacceptable, or completely lost, take heart! The baby born in a manger on Christmas morning is the God who saves! His love knows no bounds. If you are feeling lonely and without a friend in this world, take heart! The baby born in the poorest of situations on Christmas morning is the God who draws near and is with you! In the hardest times in my life the people I’ve remembered the most are the ones who were simply present and assured me that I was not alone. Love is often powerfully experienced through a calm presence in the hardest of times.
The baby born on Christmas morning is the God who saves and the one who is with us. Love so amazing, so divine, came into this world to redeem it and transform it. This love is with us and invites us to embody that love of withness for a world that so desperately needs to experience it. As you prepare for Christmas morning, resist the distraction of commercialism and consumerism, and find rest in the celebration of the love of God born into our world. How will you birth God’s love during this season?