Christmas, to me, is evidence that God wants to be with us—near us—not far away.
That changes everything I used to believe about God being a looming taskmaster whose main purpose was to hand out a list of rules and dire consequences with a warning, “Now don’t mess up!”
Christmas shows the fallacy of a distant, indifferent Higher Being, chuckling and sighing as we struggle on our own to figure out the mysteries of our spiritual path and the secret to happiness and peace.
Christmas is the most visible and tangible expression of God pro-actively coming to live our lives with us—first in Jesus over 2,000 years ago, and ever since then in his Spirit—simply because he loves us. And that reaching for us, pursuing us, walking with us in every experience we have, was not a one-time thing. It has happened since the beginning of humankind, and happens everyday. And if we look with eyes of faith we’ll see it.
That is the good news the angels told of in Bethlehem. “Good”? I would call this great news! No wonder they sang their highest praises to glorify God.
Photos courtesy of Waiting for the Word at Flickr: Good Tidings 08 https://www.flickr.com/photos/waitingfortheword/6369654687, God the Father 11 https://www.flickr.com/photos/waitingfortheword/5546445177
Happily Writing 
I can’t resist making a comment: this post is inspired!! What an encouragement for fellow sourners on the way!! Often we struggle to grasp the full inport of what it means to be in relationship with our God when He seems remote and our senses fail us. The words and sights can evoke something more when we “wait and ponder” rather “grasp and dash”, the truths of our wonderful faith tradition. In conversation with a friend at a distance earlier today I was prompted to say that I struggle to be in conversation with the Lord. Prayer – conversing with God – often seems to be onesided, but when we are in relationship with fellow believers and receive encouragement, and learn – which I am going to focus on more fully – to pray the scriptures, we can enter into that relationship we so often hear about, and I am thinking, make it more real. I have pretty much always been convinced of the historical truth of the birth and life of Jesus but have I always grasped its import in the manner you so aptly express? As you say: ” God coming to proactively live our lives with us” – notably not “for” us but “with us”. And as you say this changes everything. What a difference this is from other faith traditions. It is because He loves us, pursues us, walks with us…..that the news is GREAT!!! My oh my, what a wonderful way to end Christmas Day 2015. What a Blessing you are to have written this and made it open for us to read and respond to.
THANK YOU AND G0D BLESS YOU.