God with us

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. - Matthew 1.23

Today is the day we celebrate the incarnate Christ. We celebrate God come in human flesh. We celebrate Jesus taking on the form of a servant. We celebrate the birth of the One who was born to die. We celebrate our saviour and our redeemer. We celebrate Emmanuel. We celebrate God with us.

God with us.

What a thought.

How can it be that the eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, holy, just, righteous, all-loving, creator and sustainer of all there has been, is, and will be could come to earth to dwell with sinful man in a sin-cursed world?

I could go on, but I don’t think I can beat a C.H. Spurgeon quote that a friend posted on Facebook last night. Spurgeon nails it:

"Immanuel, God with us." It is hell’s terror. Satan trembles at the sound of it... Let him come to you suddenly, and do you but whisper that word, "God with us," back he falls, confounded and confused... "God with us" is the laborer’s strength. How could he preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labour if that one word were taken away?... "God with us" is eternity’s sonnet, heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of the angels, the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky."

Today we celebrate, and let's not forget it, Emmanuel – God with us!