"All of this [how Jesus the Messiah was born (Mat. 1:18-21)] occurred to fulfil the Lord’s message through his prophet Isaiah: 'Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means "God is with us."' When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary home as his wife.  But he did not consummate their marriage until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus" (Mat. 1:22-25).

"Immanuel" means: "God with us". "In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Col 2:9).  "God with us" means he is on our side; he is for us, not against us; he is one of us; he is not ashamed of us; he does not look for faults but faith; he stands with us and identifies with us, just as he did at his baptism. He is never closer to us than in our very worst moments. Jesus was, and always will be, the Friend of Sinners.

The Puritan pastor Thomas Goodwin wrote: "If you are part of Christ's own body, your sin evokes the deepest compassion and pity in Jesus; never revulsion. He sides with you against your sin; not against you because of your sin. He hates sin. But he loves you. Parents hate a terrible disease that afflicts their child. They hate the disease while loving the child. In fact, the very presence of the disease draws out their heart for the child all the more. Even your sinfulness, once recognized and hated by you, draws his heart towards you." Sin is a disease.

God is for us not against us; and it is because he is for us that he became one of us so that he could always be with us. I believe that sequence is important to note. Christmas only happened because God is for us.

The Bible describes the Father's wonderful gift of Jesus to the world as "unspeakable, indescribable and inexpressible" (2 Cor. 9:15). The Message has: "No language can praise it enough!" And this totally amazing gift is a person who is constantly accessible and totally approachable. Who is reluctant to get close to a new-born child? Jesus; Son of God; Messiah; is one with whom we can have the closest of relationships. And he has promised to all those who come to him and receive him by faith, that he will never, no never, cast them out; nor will he let anyone or anything snatch them from him hands.

"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice … for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!" (Isa. 9:6-7)

Meditate on the incredible wonder and miracle of the incarnation, especially what is in bold. It is all about you and me and our worth, and we are meant to feel it!

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and darkness pining
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices …