Scripture:  Matthew 1:23

The Bible gives us many names for Jesus the Christ. From Adam to Word, all of these names are significant. While I love the name Jesus, among my favorite names for Him is the name Emmanuel because it means "God with us".

Emmanuel reveals the fact that God made a decision to become human and be with us. He did not abandon his Deity to be with us but He clothed Deity in humanity and the two exists equally. He is not more God than He is human neither is He more human than He is God. Theologians call it hypostatic union; a big word that simply means he is 100% God and 100% human.

The name reminds us that no matter what we face in life, God is with us. No matter where we go or what we do, God is with us. While many will celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones there are millions of others who will grieve the loss of those that they celebrated with in the past. They too can find comfort in the reality of Emmanuel, God with us.

"God with us" does not simply mean that he is among us. In the Greek text, "with" refers to being joined together in order to accompany. He literally came to earth to accompany us back to Him. The joy of Christmas is in knowing that this is the day we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, God with us. Merry Christmas!