Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas everybody, and if I don't get to mention it otherwise, have a happy new year. 

This is my niece Lily, and what a great gift from God she is for my family this season! Thanks to my fellow Crossroads leader Sunitha Jaikumar and her family for hooking her up with some tight Christmas gear.

Christmas is not just about the cute santa outfits, gifts, or parties, although those aren't bad things. Christmas is about the good news of Jesus who came to love the world and give his life so that all people could have eternal hope in Him. 

Matthew 1:18-23 ¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

Some observations...

• Joseph showed good character by not shaming Mary, even though it was within his rights and he was probably angry and under great embarrasment himself... I wonder what I would do, or any other man, under similar circumstances... Eprops to Joe
• Note the two names given for the son are Jesus (Greek form of Hebrew translated as Joshua) and Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
• Joshua was known for succeeding Moses and saving the Israelites from the harm of other nations and eventually delivering them to the promised land of Canaan, after they had been brought out of slavery... this analogy is off text and sheer interpretation, but think of it for a second: Joshua was to Moses, as Jesus was to YHWH (the LORD in OT), or even as the Gospel was to the Torah? Sorry for my geekish theological tendencies. 
• Emmanuel (or Immanuel = God is with us)... God not only saves us, but He is WITH us... the good news isn't just for the future, and it's not just for the past either. Jesus is with us now, in times of success and triumph as well as in times of failure and pain. Despite what you may hear, Jesus doesn't promise prosperity, he does promise us his presence in whatever we go through, and that's the kind of love I know everyone is really searching for. A father, friend, healer, teacher, peace maker... a Lord, a Savior and King; when he has your back, no matter what your sins or illnesses, it's certainly appropriate to celebrate and worship Emmanuel this season and at all times.