Matthew 1: 18-25
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means “God is with us.” v23
Here in Uganda people have very interesting names. I’ve met Bright, Clever, Talent and Power, to name but a few. It makes me wonder what hopes their parents had when they named their children. Certainly there comes a certain expectation when you meet someone called Clever in the classroom!
I wonder how Mary and Joseph felt when they were told by the angel to call their son, Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. That is quite an expectation! Can you imagine? The anticipation as the birth approached. The hopes that rested upon this young life, that was about to begin. The awe and wonder for the birth that was fast approaching for this couple.
Soon God would be with his people. He would enter the world like an ordinary human but his life would be any but. Yet his parents could hardly imagine the incredible life, they were about to bring into the world ~ ‘Immanuel’, God is with us.
This Christmas God is with us, God is with you wherever you are in the world. Depending on where you are and who you’re with, whether you are a first time missionary or have been on the field for many years, Christmas can have a very different feel compared to Christmas’ back in your passport country. It can bring mixed emotions celebrating the joy of the birth of Jesus but being perhaps far from loved ones. Yet one thing remains the same, one thing is unchanging, one thing can be completely relied upon – that God is with us. No matter the circumstances we find ourselves this Christmas time, God is with us. No matter how we feel this Christmas, God is with us. No matter what challenges we face, God is with us. No matter what the future holds, God is with us.
So this Christmas time, we thank God for the birth of Jesus. We thank him for his indescribable love for us, his faithfulness for the year past and his commitment to be with us as we continue on our steps on the missionary road.
