"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel." Matthew 1:23

Immanuel - it's the ideal name for Christ. It encapsulates the fantastic and incomprehensible gift of God to us. Its literal interpretation is "God with us." It's the ancient name for the coming Savior, and it signified that God would no longer be a "distant deity" but a "close companion." And the name took on distinct meaning at the birth of Jesus, for now, God "was with us" in the flesh. He became human proving he was willing to experience life as a created being and becoming subject to the laws of a messy and sinful world. In Christ, God announces to the world that we are not alone.

It's interesting that Jesus arrived in the meager confines of a mediocre city called Bethlehem. Imagine a town in your community that is lesser known and of inferior respect. Bethlehem was known as the other side of the tracks, more of a slum than the charming Christmas village we would like to imagine. To add to this sordid scene, the birth of the Savior took place not in a hospital, home, or hotel but a stable and it was a slightly smutty, soiled, and smelly affair. God entered our mess, in a mess, and was birthed into life just like you and me. At this moment, God became one of us, and through his birth, life, death, resurrection, and present of the Spirit, God daily lives with us. You are not alone. God broke into time and space and lives with, among, and in you.