Crowd Christmas Service 2022

The Greatest Miracle You Might Have Missed

With angel visitations, wonder stars, shepherds on hillsides, and wise men from far-off lands, the Christmas story is packed with miracles and mystery. But according to Anna Kettle in this Crowd Church Christmas talk, all of it is really just scene setting for the central message - the heart of the whole Christmas story.

What's the greatest miracle at the centre of it all? It's not the virgin birth (though that's remarkable enough). It's not the angels or the star. It's something far more staggering: God's physical presence with us.

A Name We Don't Use Much Anymore

There's a name for God that tends to appear on Christmas cards and in old carols, but we don't use it much the rest of the year: Emmanuel.

Anna explained its significance:

"It was a Greek and a Hebrew word for God, and it was first recorded and used in the book of Isaiah, which is a prophet in the Old Testament, and he was foretelling the coming birth of Jesus when he used it. And that was some 700 years before it actually happened."

Here's what Isaiah wrote:

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Emmanuel literally means "God with us."

The name appears again in Matthew's Gospel when he describes how Jesus' birth came about. After explaining the angel's visit to Joseph, Matthew writes:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. (Matthew 1:22-23)

Anna pointed out something striking: "The only times that this name for God, Emmanuel, which means God with us, is ever used in the Bible is in direct references to the birth of Jesus who was literally God incarnate. Or another way of putting it perhaps is God made flesh."

God Moved Into the Neighbourhood

The Gospel of John uses that phrase "God made flesh" to describe what happened at Christmas. John writes that "the Word was God and the Word was with God, and that Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

Anna shared a translation of that verse that she particularly loves, from The Message:

"God put on flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood."

She let that sink in:

"Isn't that just such an amazing thought? It just blows my mind that God, the creator of the whole universe, would consider putting on flesh, becoming human, and just moving into an ordinary neighbourhood like ours."

Why This Changes Everything

For Anna, this is why Emmanuel is the greatest miracle of all:

"This story of Jesus' birth reminds us that God isn't distant, disinterested, or far removed from our human suffering, struggle or pain. It shows us that God is a God who chooses to be with us and more than that, to actually become one of us."

She emphasised that this was a deliberate choice:

"God didn't have to do things this way. Being God, I'm pretty sure he could have orchestrated a great rescue plan for humankind from afar without having to get his hands too dirty or get too involved. But no, that's not the way he planned it. That's not the way he did it, because God is a relational being, and the Bible says that God is love itself. So of course, of course it figures that he would choose to demonstrate his closeness and to draw near to humankind to become God with us, as one of us."

The Way He Came Matters

Anna drew attention to the specific circumstances of Jesus' birth - details that are easy to gloss over but deeply significant.

He came as a newborn baby: "He was as tiny, vulnerable and defenseless as any human baby has ever been. I can't imagine what it takes for God of the universe to put himself in the most frail and small little body that's so vulnerable to other people."

He was born to an unmarried woman: "In a time in a culture where that was really not socially accepted or okay at all."

He was born into a persecuted people group: "Jesus was a Jew."

His family became displaced refugees: "His family had to flee their own home very soon after his birth due to the violence of the regime that they were living under at the time. That's not so different to experiences of many refugees and immigrants today, all around the world."

Anna connected these circumstances to God's heart:

"I don't think it is coincidence that this was the way that God chose to come and put on flesh, because it speaks of the very heart of God for the poor, the politically oppressed, for the racially abused, the socially marginalized, and for the overlooked."

She called it "the ultimate act of solidarity":

"God wasn't just content to offer a solution and to fix things from a distance, but instead he chose to fully participate in our human story, to immerse himself in our problems, and to walk in our shoes, experiencing some of what we've experienced and feeling what we feel as humans."

What Does This Mean for Us Today?

Anna acknowledged the questions people still ask: "Where is God if there's so much suffering in the world? Or how can I personally believe that God cares about me when hard things are happening in my life right now?"

Her answer pointed back to Emmanuel:

"The idea that's wrapped in it - that God would come down to earth in human form and take our problems on as his own - is probably the greatest answer we have for all of that."

She was clear about what Jesus did and didn't promise:

"The truth is that Jesus never promised his followers that life would be easy, but what he did promise over and over in the Bible when you read the accounts of his life was that he would be with them and that he'd be in it with them all the way, and that they didn't need to fear because he was with them and he'd never leave them."

That promise still stands: "The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so what he promised then is still true now."

Don't Miss Emmanuel

Anna closed with an invitation not to let the busyness of the season obscure its heart:

"There's just so many things to enjoy about this festive season. And you know, I am a big fan of Christmas and I am here for it all, but at the same time, I really don't want to get so caught up in all the busyness and the hype and the activity that I miss the chance to pause and remember Emmanuel, the God who is with us."

She extended that same invitation:

"I don't want you to miss that opportunity this Christmas either, because this really is the greatest Christmas gift of all - that God would choose to draw close to us and to draw close to us just because he loves us."

Your Next Step This Week

Here are some ways to respond to the message of Emmanuel:

1. Pause and reflect - In the midst of Christmas activity, take a moment to consider what it means that God chose to be with us rather than fix things from a distance.

2. Consider the circumstances - Think about how Jesus came: vulnerable, to an unmarried mother, into a persecuted people, as a displaced refugee. What does this tell you about God's heart?

3. Remember the promise - Jesus promised to be with his followers through everything. If you're going through a difficult season, you don't have to face it alone.

4. Receive the gift - The greatest Christmas gift isn't under a tree. It's the offer of God's presence - Emmanuel, God with us.

The Greatest Gift

The Christmas story is full of wonder - angels, stars, shepherds, wise men, a virgin birth. But all of it points to one central truth: God didn't stay distant. He put on flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.

He came as a vulnerable baby. He came into difficult circumstances. He came to be with us - not to watch from afar, but to walk in our shoes.

That's Emmanuel. God with us.

And that really is the greatest miracle of all.