One dear brother in Christ, Bill Elliff, made this statement: “Everything flows from the presence of the Lord. Everything. If you are experiencing the presence of Christ you have everything that matters and lasts.” We know that God is omnipresent (present everywhere) and we are awed by that reality. But the same God is present everywhere, also chose to come and be present at a specific time and in a specific place.

That is why we celebrate Christmas,
because the virgin became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom they called Immanuel, which is translated “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) The Lord came to earth to be present among man, to take away the sins of the world; to seek and save the lost; to reveal the Father. This is the incarnation. Everything flows from the presence of the Lord.

God’s desire has always been to be present with man. He was present with them and walked with them in the Garden (Genesis 3:8-10). Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of God’s presence. Then the Lord began to fulfill His plan to have His presence dwell with man
again. In the book of Exodus, after the Lord had miraculously brought the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea on dry ground He began His plan to have His presence dwell
with man again thru the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:8-9). Of course the tabernacle was a temporary dwelling place for God’s presence until the time of King Solomon when the temple would be constructed in Jerusalem. Remember, from the beginning God’s plan was to dwell with His people. Everything flows from His presence.

Then we come to the New Testament. John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word was both God and with God (John 1:1-2). And here in verse 14 we find out that the Word became a man (incarnate) and dwelt among us. The Word “dwelt” is
actually a word that can be translated as “tabernacled”. So, literally, Jesus—the Word—came to tabernacle among us. He came to temporarily dwell one earth with man, as a man. Why? Well,
in short, because “everything flows from His presence.” John 1:14 continues, “We observed His glory, the glory as the One and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us, came to reveal the Father’s glory, full of grace and truth. Jesus, left heaven and went on the first gospel mission trip, to take the good news. Everything flows from His presence. Salvation flows from Him (Acts 4:12); redemption—the forgiveness of sins flows
from Him Ephesians 1:7-10); rest and peace flow from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Everything flows from His presence. Just to finish the story, after Jesus came and died on the cross, paying the penalty for the sins of the world, and rose
from the grave on the third day, to later ascend into heaven and then send the Holy Spirit to dwell within His body, the church, we are told that the church became the permanent dwelling of God’s presence here on earth (1 Corinthians 3:16). Everything Flows from His presence.

This Christmas, lets remember that Jesus came to be God’s presence here on earth and to reveal the Father—His glory, grace and truth. He came and fulfilled the mission that He was given. This truth should cause us to stop and worship. In the busyness of the Christmas season, lets slow down and worship the Incarnate Son of God!. He is worthy! Consider what Christ came to do and His character, and “come, let us adore Him.” May we also respond to Him by surrendering those things that keep us from this kind of awe-filled gladness and worship. He is worthy! And finally, may we pray not only that we will recognize His presence with us and in us, but may we pray for others to experience the Lord’s saving power—to experience His grace and His truth. Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father, the One whom we need to know, who created us for His glory. And everything flows from the presence of the Lord. Lets recognize, enjoy, and share His presence everywhere we go. Merry Christmas!