December 24: God With Us

It’s Christmas Eve. Whatever tonight looks like for you, this one word is true: Immanuel.

Maybe tonight is full. A candlelight service, family around the table, kids too excited to sleep. Maybe tonight is quiet. A small apartment, a phone that doesn’t ring much, a meeting you’re hoping to make. Maybe tonight is hard. Old memories of Christmases ruined by drinking. A family that isn’t speaking to you. A craving that’s louder than the carols.

Whatever it looks like, Matthew gives you a name to hold onto. Immanuel. God with us.

Not God above us, watching from a distance. Not God waiting for us to clean up and come to Him. God with us. In a body. In a stable. In a poor family, in a small town, in an occupied country, in the middle of the night. He didn’t wait for the world to be ready. He came into the mess.

That’s the heart of Christmas, and it’s the heart of recovery too. Many people came to God from the bottom. Not dressed up. Not put together. In the wreckage. And they found that He’d already come down there to meet them.

If you’re struggling tonight, you’re not alone. God is with you. Right now. In whatever room you’re in. You can talk to Him like He’s sitting beside you, because He is.

And if you’re doing well tonight, give thanks. Then look around. Who else needs to know God is with them? A newcomer at a holiday meeting. A family member who’s quiet in the corner. A neighbor who’s alone. Step Twelve on Christmas Eve might look like a simple invitation. “Want to come with me to the service?” “Want to grab dinner?” “Merry Christmas. I’m glad you’re here.”

If you go to a holiday meeting tonight, you’ll likely find others there who need the same reminder. Be the one who says it.

One thing today

Read Matthew 1:18-25 tonight. Then say out loud, wherever you are, “God is with me.” If you can, say it to someone else too.

A prayer

Immanuel, God with us. Thank You for coming close. Thank You for meeting me in my mess. Be with me tonight, and with everyone who feels alone. Let me carry Your nearness to someone else. Amen.

Christmas is the message behind Step Twelve.

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