Immanuel: The Reason I Still Bother with Christmas

As I get older, I find myself both anticipating and dreading Christmas. I anticipate the feasts around the table, the exchange of presents, and reunions with loved ones. At the same time, I dread the rampant consumerism, overcrowded carparks, and the expectation to overextend my calendar at the end of a big year. Today, I woke up to the news that five Aussie shoppers will spend Christmas in hospital, as they were crushed trying to win a gift card. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and wonder why we still bother with Christmas.

To fight my growing disillusion, I recently took the time to switch off and to reflect on truths that would soothe my busy soul. When Jesus was born into our world, he was named ‘Immanuel’, which translates to ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). As I reflected on the implications of this truth, I was reminded of why I still bother with Christmas and why Jesus is a worthy reason for this season. If you’re feeling weighed down by the Christmas craze, it is my hope that these truths will strengthen and encourage you.

1. Immanuel means our God is knowable.

Far from being a distant deity on an untouchable throne, the incarnation shows us that our God desires proximity and relationship with His creation. While we can behold God’s power through the forces of nature, we can also experience the intimate aspects of His character through the person of Jesus. Jesus shows us what God’s divine love, wisdom, compassion, humility, patience and justice looks like. As Jesus is the ‘radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being’ (Hebrews 1:3), God graciously takes the guess-work out of knowing who He is and what He ultimately stands for.  

2. Immanuel means our God is humble in heart.

Far from being a tyrannical God who abuses power and exploits the weak, our God chose to enter the world in the form of a baby. The nativity scene is the humble beginnings of a divine peace offering where our God would be willing to step down from heavenly comfort to bear the consequences of human sin. Jesus traded a throne for thorns, a crown for a cross, and fellowship for forsakenness. By withholding power to rescue the weak, Jesus shows us that true greatness is expressed through humility.

3. Immanuel means our God can empathise with human weakness.

Jesus was born in a dirty animal trough and he died a criminal’s death on the cross. He was tempted with hunger, thirst and promises of wealth and power. He was exploited for his healing powers and betrayed by family and friends. He mourned with tears over his friend’s dead body (John 11:35) and he sweat blood ahead of his crucifixion (Luke 22:44). He felt the physical, emotional and spiritual pain of being forsaken by God and abandoned by the very people he came to save. Whenever I cry out to God in prayer, I take comfort in the fact that he can empathise with my experiences of pain in a fallen world. (Hebrews 4:15).

4. Immanuel means our God is with us and for us.

Jesus lived a sinless life of loving God, people and enemies perfectly. As the holy Son of God, he had every right to judge and express righteous anger, and yet at the climax of his suffering, he prays: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Although he is crowned with sovereign power, Jesus chose to walk with love, lead with patience, and rescue with compassion. God’s unconditional love for sinners as demonstrated on the cross is the reason for Paul’s confidence: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

5. Immanuel means our God helps us fight our battles.         

God lives in His people through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16) who works to help believers understand His word, discern His will, and to become more like Jesus in mind, heart and action. As Christians, we are not expected to face battles on our own because the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in faith and to fight for holiness; a process called ‘sanctification’. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, so that in our struggle against sin, we can be confident that death will never claim victory over our souls (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

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There will be a day when I will no longer have to write about the challenges of Christmas, or the reasons why Jesus is a worthy reason for the season. There will be a day when King Jesus will return to redeem his people, and every knee will bow to acknowledge his throne. There will be a day when Christmas will no longer be stained by loneliness, consumerism or goodbyes. There will be a day when our weary souls will finally be at rest because ‘God with Us’ will be a reality that we get to celebrate into eternity.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, resting in the profound truth of Immanuel and celebrating the love, mercy and compassion of our Saviour.  

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How does the truth of ‘Immanuel’ encourage you?
Let me know in the comments below!