This past weekend, my family and I made a quick stop at Desert Christ Park. It is filled with large statues of scenes from the Bible: the Last Supper, Jesus and the woman at the well, Jesus preaching to the disciples, the discovery of the empty tomb, and Jesus calling the children to come to Him.

We strolled through the park, trying to keep my son from running down hills too quickly and fall and from climbing all over the statues. Were we being irreverent, I wondered. Letting him climb and make noise in this place? I wondered if Jesus would care that my son climbed up onto the lap of the statue of Himself.

I don’t think He would have minded.

Why? Because He is Immanuel. God with us.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

He chose to come to us. He chose to give Himself to us in the most real way possible. To take on flesh and be born into our world. He desires our worship, yes, but He desires our company even more.

Jesus doesn’t want to just be a statute in a park somewhere. He doesn’t want to be a lifeless sculpture we can’t get near. He bids us to come, to crawl onto His lap, to breathe in His presence, to bask in His company. He crossed the bridge into our world so that we might know Him- know His love, know that He is real and His promises true.

Matthew recounts Isaiah’s prophecy,

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).” Matthew 1:23

During this Christmas season, we’ll no doubt hear this verse many times. I pray that it roots itself deep into our hearts. The birth of Jesus, the reason for the Christmas celebration, isn’t just some scene for a Christmas card. It is an earth shattering promise. God with us. God with us.

Can you imagine what life would be like if we took that promise with us as we faced each day?

Quiet time? God with us.

Crazy, hectic morning? God with us.

Grouchy boss, cashier, co-worker, spouse? God with us.

Picky eaters, tantrum throwers, moody teenagers? God with us.

Loneliness, helplessness, hopelessness, fear, anger, longing? God with us. 

This season, and every day after, I pray that we truly realize Jesus is not a lifeless statue. He came close; close enough that He is here now. He is here always.

Matthew ends his Gospel with this promise:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

I pray we experience Immanuel in our lives, today and everyday.