God With Us (Christmas Eve Service)

Introduction

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

As we take a short amount of time this evening to remind ourselves of what Christmas is about, I pray that we can leave refreshed and filled with new wonder and joy at what this season represents.

I want to share a couple thoughts on the Word Emmanuel

Emmanuel

That word Emmanuel.

It’s on our Christmas cards

We sing it in our Christmas carols

Emmanuel means “God With Us”

But oh the beauty that that word represents.

God With Us, meaning God’s presence is with us.

I want share 3 areas of God’s presence that are represented in Emmanuel.

Relational Presence

Relatable Presence

Revealing Presence.

Relational Presence

God has always been present…he is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere at once.

He is not bound by space or time, but he is ever-present

The Psalmist David wrote:

Psalm 139:7-10 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

So God’s presence is everywhere.

But the significance of Emmanuel is greater than just a mere presence.

I can be in the presence of many people in a crowd and still be alone.

Emmanuel is about a relational presence.

Emmanuel is first talked about in Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

God has always been around, His presence has always been near.

But Emmanuel speaks of a different nearness. Emmanuel speaks of a relational nearness…a relational presence.

Expound on sin

In our sin, we were separated from God.

We couldn’t get to Him, so He came to us.

Through Christ’s death and resurrection as a man, sin’s penalty has been paid.

And we just have to receive God’s gift of grace through faith.

Emmanuel is a relational presence.

Relatable Presence

Think of what God did. God came down and took on the form of a man.

Paul said it like this in Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

God came in the form of a baby.

Had to be fed

Had to have his diapers changed.

Had to learn how to speak.

He has been touched with our very humanity

Experienced human emotions

Experienced human weakness

Experienced human temptations

Experienced human suffering

Experienced human death

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

And it’s not like God did this so that He could know what we go through.

God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything.

He doesn’t have to experience being a human to understand humanity

God didn’t need to relate to us....We needed Him to relate to us.

Example of being comforted by someone who has gone through the same thing as you.

God Himself was touched by humanity....we have a God who can sympathize with our weaknesses.

Even though he didn’t sin, he was touched by the same consequences of sin that we are all affected by.

Emmanuel is a relatable presence

Revealing Presence

Meaning Jesus, God with us, is the best revelation of God we could ever receive.

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:19 “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”

In other words, if you want to know what God is like, look to Jesus.

Story of Man with Birds

Generous man, but he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time.

It just didn't make sense.

He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man

Said he wouldn’t go to the service with his family, but would wait for them to get back home.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall.

He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier

Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another.

At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window.

But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow.

They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.

Directing Birds

Quickly he put on a coat and ran and opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in.

He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the barn. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs.

He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms.. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

Illumination

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him.

To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me..

That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them.

"If only I could be a bird." he thought to himself. "and mingle with them and speak their language.

Then I could tell them not to be afraid.

Then I could show them the way to safety and warmth

But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand."

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.

And he sank to his knees in the snow

Emmanuel is a revealing presence.

Closing

In closing, as we celebrate the birth of Christ this year, let’s remember to celebrate the wonder and joy of a God

Who has blessed us with a relational, relatable, and revealing presence, not just this Christmas season, but that we can walk with every day of our lives.

That’s something to get excited about and celebrate this Christmas season!

Let’s Pray

candles lit

Light Candles

Read

Luke 2:8-14 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””