At Christmas, we celebrate more than the birth of Jesus. We celebrate the truth that God chose to be with us. In Matthew 1:18–25, Jesus is given the name Immanuel, meaning God with us, revealing a God who is not distant, detached, or indifferent, but present and near. Jesus came to save His people from their sins, to reveal the heart of the Father, and to dwell among us in grace and truth. The greatest gift of Christmas is not found under a tree, but in the One wrapped in swaddling clothes, who humbled Himself, took on human form, and entered our world by love and choice. Christmas declares that God goes before us, walks with us, and invites us to abide in Him in the middle of our joy, our pain, and our ordinary lives.

Before the foundation of the world, Jesus shared perfect glory and intimacy with the Father, yet humanity was created by God, for God, and to be like God in order to live in divine connection with Him. From the garden to the cross, God’s desire has always been friendship, not distance. Jesus made this clear when He said He no longer calls us servants but friends, revealing the heart of God and the depth of His love. That friendship came at a great cost, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, chosen before the world began so that we could be restored to radical intimacy with God.

Jesus is our peace, and Scripture shows why His peace is unlike anything the world can offer. God is not the author of confusion but of peace, and Jesus gives us a gift of peace for our minds and hearts, calling us not to be troubled or afraid. Jesus Himself is perfectly at peace with the Father, and through faith we have peace with God. Even in discipline God produces a peaceful harvest in those He trains. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, and we are called to set our minds on the realities of heaven. The greatest way for us to walk in lasting peace is to keep our trust and thoughts fixed on God, for He promises to keep in perfect peace all who look to Him.