By Chris Seah
As we take our first steps into the new year, we ask: What did God give us when He sent us His Son on that original Christmas day? The answer that resounds from Holy Scripture is salvation! God sent His Son to save us from our sins and to be with us forever. Listen to this explanation of Jesus’s mission set forth in Matthew 1:21-23:
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
These words offer us a summary of who Jesus came to be for us. When we look to Him with the help of the Holy Spirit, we receive a sweet, warm, and precious promise from our Creator: “Fear not. I am with you.” As God in human flesh, Jesus is God’s yes to us, His nod of approval, His smile of fatherly delight—the assurance of His abiding presence and favor. Since God has made His home among us in Jesus, you and I will never be forsaken by Him. He will hold on to us to the very end.
So, the greatest Christmas present that God gave us is nothing less than His very own Person, in His very own Son! If the cold winds of winter bring us memories of grief and lost opportunity, Christmas reminds us that all is redeemed in Christ. If we find the terrifying uncertainties of a new year creeping into our consciousness, we remember the promise that God Incarnate made to us: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). If our bodies ache from injury or scream with cancerous pain, the Lord says to us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isa. 43:2). If our hearts ache from unrequited love or spousal betrayal, He assures us of His enduring commitment to us: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). If we feel discouragement crushing our lungs, squeezing the life breath out of us, He says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go” (see Josh. 1:9). If personal failure has marred our hearts, King Jesus says, “Take heart, my child; your sins are forgiven” (see Mt. 9:2).
This is the true meaning of Christmas: God has come to live with you forever, in Jesus. And now, by giving you faith to trust this Jesus to forgive your sins, God has adopted you as His child, bound you to Himself with cords of unbreakable love, turned your heart into the fireplace of His Holy Spirit, and filled your soul with the warm breath of a new creation. Be at peace, dear Christian. Start your new year knowing that God is with you and for you!
