Each year at Christmas, I hear the manger call to me. There is a voice that seems to say, “Come closer. Draw near. Here I am. I have come for you.” I know this is the voice of my God calling out, inviting me (or anyone who would listen) to come to know him more.
As Christians, we believe that Christmas was God’s way of getting up close and personal. Scripture shouts the fact that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was God – in the flesh, live and in color. Scripture teaches that God became a man, having fully entered into human likeness.
When Mary became pregnant with child by the Holy Spirit, Joseph was at first confused and alarmed. God sent an angel to him to comfort him and to confirm that this was indeed a God thing. The angel quoted prophecy from the Old Testament in reference to these events, saying, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Jesus was God’s way of saying, “I have come to be with you. I want you to be with me.” How could God say it any more clearly?
God came to earth so we could know him, so we could understand what he is like. Jesus is called the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus begins to take away the mystery of God’s nature and character. Jesus is the human face of God. He was literally God with skin on.
God’s invitation for us is to come face to face with Him in the person of Jesus Christ. The manger reveals God’s desire for relationship. God tipped his hand when He sent His Son to live as a man and then die for our sin. There is not act in all of history that is more revealing of God’s heart and desire. The greatest Christmas gift you could ever receive is the chance to meet God – a God who has come near.
Have you ever felt that God was distant and uninterested? Have you ever thought he was just out of touch? Jesus ensures us that God is neither distant nor out of touch. We have a God who has walked a mile or two in our shoes so to speak. The book of Hebrews says, “Because He himself suffered when he was tempted , He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). Jesus lived as a man. He experienced the full range of human emotions including love, joy, disappointment, betrayal, rejection, and more. He also got tired and hungry. He faced temptation from the enemy. His friends abandoned him during his toughest moments.
When we pray, we are not praying to a God who is far off. He is a God who has drawn near. He is a God that know the battles of life – a God who let Himself be tested through the fiery trials of life on earth.
This God also drew near to offer you forgiveness. He was given the name Jesus which means “The Lord saves,” because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus means that God’s forgiveness is tangible to us. It is real. We don’t have to wonder if God will forgive us. It is the very reason He came.
I wonder if you can hear the voice of God calling you this Christmas: “Here I am. I have come for you. Draw near. Come closer.” And that’s the Word.