Intimacy with God

I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.   Meister Eckhart

The readings for Christmas remind us of a single, steady truth. God is not distant. God draws near. Isaiah (Is 52:7-10) announces a message of joy for a weary people. The Lord restores what is

broken and brings peace to hearts that have waited in longing. Salvation is the tenderness of God stepping into our human story.

Hebrews (Heb: 1-6) deepens this revelation. God has always spoken, but now God speaks through the Son. Jesus makes God’s love for us recognizable. The mystery of Christmas is not only that God comes, but that God comes gently, carrying grace for every wounded corner of the world.

John’s Gospel expresses the full extent of this nearness. The eternal Word becomes flesh. Light enters the world and the darkness cannot overcome it. Even when the world does not recognize God’s nearness the Word remains, continually offering us the gift of a divine relationship. Christmas is God’s quiet promise that nothing has the final word except God’s love.

Together these readings invite us to see our lives with renewed faith. God comes to us again and again. God’s light reaches places we thought too lost or too small. Christmas is more than one day’s celebration. It is a reminder that God draws close in every season, always reminding us “be not afraid,” always prepared to offer peace, clarity, and hope.

1.Think of a time when you felt God’s presence most intimately during the Christmas season. What was that experience like for you?

2.Is there a particular Christmas carol or hymn that makes you feel especially close to God, and what does it reveal to you about God’s intimacy?

3.When any newborn enters the world, what are the feelings and experiences attached to that moment?