Beyond The Manger
God with us
One of the names for God that you tend to hear used a lot at this time of year is ‘Emmanuel’, meaning God with us. It appears on countless Christmas cards, and it’s enacted through countless nativity plays at schools, churches and nurseries all over the world.
In fact, if you could boil down the essence of the whole Christmas story into just one single word, I think this would be it…
Emmanuel, meaning ‘God with us’.
I mean, the Christmas story is one so packed full of miracles; of angel visitations, wonderous stars appearing, ancient prophecies fulfilled, and of course, a virgin birth.
But really the biggest miracle, the one at the centre of it all, is simply this: the miracle of God choosing to be with us. Choosing to come and dwell as one of us, to feel what we feel, and love how humans live.
God with us in our waking, and also in our sleeping.
God with us in our working, and in our resting.
God with us in laughing, and also in our crying.
God with us in our plenty, but also in our lack.
God with us in our excitement, and also in our disappointment.
God with us in our moments of celebration, and also in our grieving.
God with us in our good days, but also the bad ones too.
And I wonder if there has ever been a time where we’ve needed to know God’s ‘withness’ in our struggle more?
Especially today, on this winter solstice which is the longest, darkest night of them all.
The spiritual and secular
Much of my early church upbringing encouraged a lot of mental separation between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, which can leave you feeling a bit ‘divided’.
But the truth adulthood has gradually been revealing is that there actually is no other way to find God apart from in the everyday grit of ordinary human life.
And when I open up my Bible I am often reminded that no one was more invested in our physical life here on earth than Jesus - and nowhere is this more evident than in the Christmas story.
Christmas reminds us that God is not distant, disinterested, or far removed from our human experience. He is the God who chose to come close. To immerse himself fully. To truly take part in our story. And in a very specific way.
As the Gospel of John so eloquently puts it, “God put on flesh and moved into the neighbourhood.” (John 1, The Message).
And not only did He fully participate in our human experiences, but he came as a newborn baby; as tiny, vulnerable and defenceless as any human baby has ever been.
And not any baby either, but one born into a displaced family, identifying as part of a persecuted people group - living with no particular human standing, advantage, or wealth.
It was the ultimate act of solidarity with humanity, motivated solely out of love.
He offered his withness then, just as he still offers his withness to us now too.
Remembering ‘God with us‘
There are so many wonderful things to enjoy in this festive season, but this year I really don’t want to get so caught up in all of it that I miss the chance to pause and remember Emmanuel, the God who chose to draw close.
And what I am discovering is that as I make time and space to really look for Him through moments of quietness and reflection, I still find Him here; still Emmanuel, still God with me – some 2000 years on - just as He promises to be with you too.