God Came Near

Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation — the mystery of God taking on flesh and entering fully into human life. In Jesus Christ, the eternal Son did not remain distant or abstract, but drew near in a body, sharing our limitations, our joys, and our sorrows. This nearness was not symbolic or temporary; it was God choosing to dwell with humanity, revealing a grace that meets us where we are and transforms ordinary life into a place of divine presence.

The incarnation was a real and historical act of God. The Son truly assumed human nature, not in appearance only, but in actuality. He was born, grew, labored, experienced hunger and weariness, and lived within the ordinary constraints of human life. In doing so, He did not cease to be God, nor did He diminish His divinity. Rather, He revealed the depth of God’s commitment to redeem His people from within creation itself.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14

The language of dwelling echoes God’s earlier nearness to His people — His presence in the garden, His glory filling the tabernacle and the temple. The incarnation does not introduce grace where there was none before. It reveals the same gracious God acting consistently with His purposes, now made visible in the person of His Son. What had been promised, patterned, and anticipated throughout Scripture is brought into clearer focus in Christ.

Jesus’ bodily presence among us was not an end in itself, but part of God’s unfolding redemptive work. Through His obedient life, His atoning death, and His resurrection, Christ accomplished what humanity could not. His ascension did not mark God’s withdrawal, but the continuation of His presence in a new and promised way.

The Spirit’s indwelling is not a replacement for the incarnation, but its fruit. The same God who drew near in Christ now applies that finished work personally and presently by His Spirit. God’s nearness is no longer confined to one place or one body, but is known by His people in every place and every moment.

This is grace as Scripture presents it — not episodic, not seasonal, not earned, but given. Grace that sustains creation. Grace that redeems. Grace that meets us in the present moment because God Himself is faithful to be present.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Christmas, then, is not only a remembrance of Christ’s birth, but a confession of what God has done and continues to do. The incarnation assures us that God is not distant from human weakness, and the Spirit’s work assures us that Christ’s finished work is not remote from our daily lives.

God came near in Christ. God remains faithful to His promises.

And by His Spirit, God applies His grace in every present moment.

Emmanuel.

God with us.

Soli Deo Gloria.