Many people today believe that Jesus never claimed to be God. They think Jesus was merely a wise teacher whose followers later deified him. Yet, key passages, such as Philippians 2, demonstrate that from the very beginning of Christianity, Jesus was worshiped as God. In our lives, we can only see Jesus’ love for us once we realize that he is God. Jesus left the perfect love of the Trinity in order to serve us. He then sends His disciples out into the world, following in his footsteps, serving and sacrificially loving others.

What does it mean to say God is with us? The meaning of Christmas is that the Creator of the universe has become a human being. It means that the terrifying God who appeared in the Old Testament as a whirlwind and a fire has become a vulnerable baby in order to be close to us. What, in turn, will we do in order to be close to Him?

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: John 1:1, 14, 17; Acts 20:28; Acts 14:11-13; Job 38:1; Genesis 15:17; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3; Exodus 33:18-23; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 3:13; Romans 1:17; 1 Corinthians 13:7.