God With Us | Advent 1 of 3

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

This is Advent, the Christmas season, where we remember that in Jesus, the Word became flesh; that God was, and is, with us.
The holidays are difficult for many of us: Those struggling financially, finding it hard to provide the Christmas experience that they want for their children and loved ones; those who have lost friends or family and are experiencing these special moments without those they love. Isn’t it wonderful that we have the reminder during these sometimes difficult moments that God is with us? Not that He came to be with us way back then, but that He is with us now – in our struggles, in our heartaches, in our pain.
The promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us is reiterated in God with us. Jesus is God with us in every circumstance of our lives.
Matthew tells the story of God with us; John tells the story of the Word becoming flesh