Daily Devotional 12/25/24

Matthew 1:22-23 (NRSV): All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”.

I confess to you this morning that I come to this devotional a broken man. Yesterday, my wife and I had to make an impossible decision and allow our dog, Honey, to leave our family. Writing those words is making me cry. Giving Honey back to God was one of the most difficult things I have done in a long, long time. The grief will stick around for a while this time, I think. So, I approach these words in a state of brokenness. When I read the words, I reminded of something a friend said recently about Jesus: God’s plan of wholeness for us from the beginning was the coming of Jesus into our lives. Jesus was not a change of plans. Jesus was not a result of a failed plan. Jesus is the plan. Jesus came so that He could step into our lives and brokenness and live with us. Jesus came to make us whole. I feel very far from whole this morning. I was not sure if I was going to even write something today. But I read today’s verse and realize God was reminding that Jesus means that God is with me. God is with me when I celebrate the wins. God is with me when I am broken and crying. God is with me on intention and by design. Today, may we all live in the hope that Jesus came deliberately into our lives to make us whole. That sounds like good news to me.