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One of my favorite songs is “Oh come, oh come Immanuel.” I like it because of its melody. But we don’t have to ask Jesus to come — he is already here! Immanuel means “God with us.” John tells us that Jesus had been with us from the beginning — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

On Christmas Eve, we celebrate the night Jesus came among us in the flesh. That night, Mary held more than a tiny baby in her arms. She held the hope of all mankind. A Savior who gave his life so that we might live forever with him.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” he said before ascending back to heaven. (Matthew 28:20) He didn’t say he will be with us sometime in the future. He said he IS with us, right now, this very minute, and every minute. It fills me with awe to think that God is closer to me than my breath, closer than my heartbeat, in every instant of my life. I have come to realize that prayer is not talking to somebody way off in heaven. It’s talking to someone who is right here beside me.

Tonight we rejoice because God is with us!