As a part of leading his family, every man should look at “God moments” and never waste chances and special times to have an eternal impact.  Christmas is one of those times that you cannot take lightly and should start planning today for how you will lead this Christmas.  Max Lucado wrote recently that his father told his brothers and him that there is only thing that is important to remember: “Christmas is Christ.”  It is the birth of Christ, God’s only Son and our Savior.  While Luke gives us a detailed account of Jesus’ birth, Matthew sums it up succinctly in our verse from Matthew this week.  John stated it another way in John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Matthew quoted and repeated Isaiah 7:14 which foretold the birth of Jesus and that his name would be Immanuel.

We must focus on the birth of Christ, God’s only Son.  However, it is much more than just his birth and that is the reason we should not forget the name, Immanuel.  It means God with us in the flesh.  It means that God became man and experienced the same human issues that we face.  The virgin birth is the only way God could do this.  Yet, Christ lived a sinless life which we could never do.   What he did on the cross for us started at Christmas when he left heaven to come to earth and give us the only way to the Father.  There is more.  Yes, Immanuel means God with us.  However, we must carry it further and accept what he did when he came, died and rose again to make Christmas what it is.  It should become God in us, not just with us.  This is what it means when John wrote, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Yes, Christmas is both Christ and the Father.  It is the Father’s gift to us.  I pray for each of you to lead your family this Christmas to celebrate in a deeper way all that Christmas means from a loving Father, full of grace and truth.