Before Jesus was born,  his virgin birth was foretold 600 years earlier by the Prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would also be called ‘Emmanuel’, meaning ‘God with us‘.   Jesus, himself told his disciples that ‘Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father’. Later on one of the apostles described Jesus as being ‘the very image of the invisible God’.

At Christmas, Christians celebrate the incredible truth that when Jesus was born, it was God himself coming to live life as a human being! That is why he understands us. He experienced all the good and wonderful things about life; but also experienced great suffering and sorrow.

In coming as Jesus, to live life on Earth, God showed that he is ‘For Us‘. He is on our side and he wants to make a difference in our lives. But to help us, Jesus had to first solve the  problem of ‘sin’ which creates a barrier between us and God. This is why God can seem very distant and unreal.

In living a perfect life and eventually dying on a cross, Jesus was able to tear down that barrier; enabling us to know God’s presence and receive his Holy Spirit. All we have to do is  ask forgiveness and invite  him to be part of our daily lives.  Jesus called this way of living ‘Life in all its fullness’. This life is so radically different that Jesus likened it to being ‘born again’.

The bible says that Jesus existed before the creation of the world – and will exist For Ever. In the book of Revelation Jesus referred to himself as ‘the Alpha and the Omega’; the beginning and the end.  He was describing eternal life.

Even though Jesus died as a human being,  he rose from the grave and after 40 days ascended into heaven. The wonderful news for us is that this never ending eternal life, that defines Jesus, is available to us too. We only have to ask and we can be with him now and For Ever.