Emmanuel, God with us.

During this Advent season we will read or hear so many times the wonderful truth of Emmanuel, God with us.

We will think of how wonderful it is that God became man as the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

It is awesome, it is wonderful, it is glorious.

We think of the infant conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Of the baby born of a virgin.

Of the shepherds and the magi coming to see the beautiful child, born to be our sacrifice and our King.

Our eyes gaze in wonder at the sheer magnificence of God becoming man.

But let us never forget.

This child would be the subject of gossip as people worked out the date of the virgin's betrothal to Joseph and the date of the birth.

This child would be born in a stable as men would not make room for Him to be born in a place of comfort and safety.

This child would be the target of a ruler's murderous jealousy.

This child would spend many of his early years in Egypt as a refugee.

This child would know the worst of mankind.

And still Jesus was prepared to lay down His life for us as He bore our sin and shame. Betrayed, denied, falsely accused, mocked and spat upon.

And so we begin again to understand.

That God with us is so much more than a physical presence among us.

God with us is the One who knew what it was like to experience the worst right from the very beginning.

He is with us because He has known it.

He is with us because He never shied away from it.

He is with us because He never stopped loving us through it.

He is with us because, no matter how hard, how painful, how difficult, how tormenting, how brutal the circumstances we face, He has already walked that path.

We rejoice in Emmanuel, God with us.

We rejoice in the wonder of the incarnation.

We are humbled by God veiling His glory in human flesh.

And we are thankful that the truth of Emmanuel, God with us, stands true.

In every moment.

In every hardship.

In every trial.

In every moment.

Emmanuel.

God with us.