Just as an angel appeared to Mary to tell her about her role in bringing the greatest Christmas gift into the world, her husband Joseph also had an angel speak to him. The angel of the Lord told him that his bride-to-be would be conceived by the Holy Spirit to fulfill prophesy and their child would be named Jesus (the Lord saves) and called Immanuel (God with us) (Matthew 1:23).
What makes Jesus Christ the greatest Christmas gift of all is that He truly is God with us. Jesus, who was with God the Father from the beginning of time (John 1:1-2), came to earth so that mankind could truly see who God is. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth....No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (John 1:14, 18)
When we examine Jesus' life and His earthly ministry, we get a vivid human picture of the holiness of God. What Jesus taught and what he did are tied inseparably to who he is--fully human and fully God. Through Christ, God made himself visibly and tangibly known--the perfect expression of himself in human form. In Him, we see a Heavenly Father who loves, rejoices, cries, comforts, confronts, helps, heals and forgives. Jesus is the name above all names--the eternal Creator, the One who sustains all things and the source of eternal life for all who call upon His name.
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