In It With Us
/
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means God with us.” Matthew 1:23
One of the joys for me at Christmas is singing Christmas carols. They bring joy and memories as we sing together the songs of our childhood. The first song I remember singing was “Away in a Manger” at church with other children for a Christmas program. It is still one of my favorite Christmas carols. I remember singing “Go, Tell It On the Mountain” every Christmas Sunday as a child because it was Walter Fox’s favorite song and he led the singing! Christmas carols tell the story of that first Christmas and helps us picture the events and the people. They are sung with joy as we focus on Jesus. God’s love comes down at Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season.
One of my favorite choruses for Christmas is “Emmanuel” –
“Emmanuel, Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel. God with us, revealed in us. His name is called Emmanuel.”
Emmanuel – God is with us. We sing these words and tell the story of Jesus’ birth. Jesus is God with us. God comes in human form. We believe God loves us and came down at Christmas in the form of a baby to be like us and to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. We believe at Christmas, but what about when we are in the depths of grief, disease, trauma, pain, and feel overwhelmed? It is difficult to remember God is with us when our focus is on the intensity of life. It feels like we are alone trying to navigate the deep waters of life. It may feel like just treading water and fear going under. God may seem far away or at least not the focus.
I heard recently in a prayer, “God, you are with us and in it with us.” That caught my attention. God is in life with us. That means God is in our grief with us. God is in our disease with us. God is in our pain with us. God is in it with us no matter what “it” is.
When I sit in this thought of God being “in it with me,” it allows me to believe God is in my life – in every moment of my life. God is in my writing (and your reading of it), my counseling, my running, my relationships, my cleaning, my driving. In every moment, every task, every thought, every step. Not just when I am aware and pray, but even when my focus is not on God. God is still in it with me.
So, is God in Christmas with you? Some of you just want Christmas to be over and are just trying to get through it because of your sadness and loss. Nothing is the same. The happiness of others is too much, and the happiness of the season eludes you. God is still in it with you. Some of you are focused on the outward displays and events of Christmas and are too busy to let God be in it. Christmas has lost its meaning and has become just another event with family.
Christmas is in the season of Advent and is the first season of the Christian Church year. Since it is the beginning, maybe it is time to look at this Christmas with a different focus. Expect God to come into your world, your life and be in it with you. Jesus came to be like us and to be in it with us. God is not distant. Sometimes God is so close that we do not realize God is with us. God is in life with you right now.
Let’s pause for a moment and say – “God, you are here with me now. You are in my life and in what I am going through right now.” Emmanuel, the name of Jesus, reminds us that God came to be with us and provide a way for us to always be with Him eternally. What if this Christmas, you start right now recognizing God is in it with you. Trust Him. Ask Him. Seek Him. Focus on Him. Even in the struggle and the sadness, we have peace because wherever Jesus is there is peace, hope, joy, and love. You may not feel it, but God is still there with you.
God is in it with you. Emmanuel, God is with us.
****************************************************************************
Check out my website and my books – www.livinginthedifferent.com
