Cindy Powell

 Another Christmas has come and gone.

The busyness has passed. The gifts have been opened and the food has been eaten. Family has been gathered. Friends have been embraced. Memories have been made.

Now, for a moment, it’s quiet. For a moment, there is time to reflect. There is time to breathe. There is time to ponder.

For me, that’s when the miracle of Christmas really begins. Because I don’t just celebrate His birth once a year–I celebrate all year long. And as I celebrate all year, I don’t just celebrate the fact that He came…

I celebrate the fact that He stayed. 

The baby born in Bethlehem grew. He lived a pure and perfect life. He showed us what the Father is really like. He showed us what love is really like. He loved us to the point of death and literally laid down His life for His friends.

But even then, He didn’t abandon us. In conquering death itself He bridged the great divide once and for all.  Jesus promised He would never leave us as orphans. He promised He’d send a Helper who would be with us forever.

And that is the real miracle of Christmas. He didn’t just come–He stayed. Jesus showed us the way to the Father forever. He wasn’t just Immanuel for the thirty-three years He walked this earth in a human body, He is Immanuel forever. That makes Christmas forever. I can celebrate the fact that He came, every single day. I can commune with Him every day. I can experience the reality of His presence every day. I can take His outstretched hand and walk with Him every day and through every season of life.

So much in this life is fickle. So much is fleeting. Many things are here for a moment and then gone tomorrow. But He is forever. His love is forever. His presence is forever. Because He didn’t just come…

He stayed.

“And be sure of this:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matt 28:20