Christmas Shopping 🎄 Immanuel

Immanuel

Luke 1:30-35; 30; "And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God."

What a miracle that the God of the universe chose to come to earth as a baby—such grandeur and humility all in one. It can be easy to question how this could be, and that’s exactly what Mary did when the angel Gabriel greeted her with the news that she would conceive the Son of God. 

Gabriel responded in Luke 1:35, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God.”

Over 600 years before this miraculous exchange, the prophet Isaiah spoke the same news of the virgin birth, declaring that the son would be called Immanuel, which translated means, “God with us.”

With that, Isaiah told us the who and the what of Jesus’ birth… but it was Gabriel who brought the news of how: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you…and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God.”

As we consider the miracle that is… “God with us” by the power of the Holy Spirit that came upon Mary and to rejoice that, through Jesus, the Holy Spirit is still available to us today. We need to remember that Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure from the world, He told them that it was actually good that He would leave, that they would then receive the gift and power of the Holy Spirit. You see, on earth, Jesus was fully God and fully man—He could only be in one place at a time. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, each of us has access to Him all the time, wherever we are!

The Holy Spirit who conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb, making it possible for Him to be with us on earth, is the same Spirit that Jesus said would come in His place to be with us always. When God sent His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit, He created and confirmed a lasting presence for those who call Him Lord.

This Christmas, allow the power of the gifts God set in motion long ago to resonate in your heart. Whether you’re celebrating over gifts and dinner with loved ones or if you find yourself in a place of mourning, know that Immanuel has come for you. He didn’t just come to occupy a manger, a cross, or a tomb—He came to live in your heart through the everlasting power of His Holy Spirit. The gift of Christmas was always meant for you, and He is with you always!

We’re told in John 14:16-17; “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Or Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor Helper, so that He may be with you forever; 17the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.”

Yes, Life Happens… and regardless of what is happening around us or in our lives, let’s pray to the Father, and thank Him for sending His Son to earth and giving us such a gift to celebrate during the Christmas season.

It’s humbling to know that He loves you and me so much and that He wants to be with us always. And ask the Holy Spirit, help you to remember that no matter where you are, He is with you.

This Devotion is based on a devotion from: God with us, A Christmas Devotion