We have been painfully reminded this year that life is not the same at a social distance. The elderly are missing family. Children are missing their friends. Students have missed out on enjoying in-person celebrations which create lifelong memories. Weddings and funerals have been disrupted. Meals with friends have been called off. Life on hold is a very lonely experience!

Someone termed what we have experienced, as a “social recession,” marked by growing loneliness and isolation. Before the pandemic came about, loneliness was already an issue. One health insurer said the loneliness rate is greater than 50% among adults. Loneliness can harm your health, productivity, and sense of fulfillment.

There is a spiritual answer for this problem. God created you for a relationship with him and when you know him, you will never be alone. God calls us to himself, and into community with his people. God has come down to where you are, he knows your name and he cares about you!

700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, during the reign of a king named Ahaz, Isaiah the Prophet predicted the birth of the One who would be God coming to dwell among men. Isaiah predicted that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son, “Immanuel.” 

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:21-23 She will bear a Son; and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel- which means, ‘God with us.’

Christmas celebrates the great truth that God became man and dwelt among men. We refer to the concept of “God with us” as the “Incarnation.”Incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.” It means God took on human flesh, and was born as a human. God descended from heaven to earth in a stable in Bethlehem of Judea. Christ is God in the flesh. The Incarnation is a central, essential, and non-negotiable truth. They called his name Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us. 

The name Jesus, is a saving name. We cannot study the Christmas account without also looking at the cross. Jesus was born to save and salvation carried a huge price, the life of the Son of God. God the Father gave His only Son and the Son willingly gave Himself for us. There is only one way to God and that is through the Son.

The name Jesus, is a beautiful name. It reveals what he would one day do. He would save his people from their sins. 

The name Jesus, is a joyful name. It fits a joyful season and the joy he brings. 

The name Jesus, is an unrivaled name. Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The name Jesus, is an enduring name. Our future in heaven is described in Revelation 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Jesus is the Savior and is God with us!

One preacher said- For those who face loneliness during this season of the year, take comfort in this fact: God’s answer to loneliness is not a theory or an abstract doctrine or a book to read or a seminar to attend. It’s not a better job, more friends, another movie to watch or another song to sing. And it’s not even the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. God’s answer to loneliness is wrapped up in a person—Jesus Christ. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is the only one who will never leave you or forsake you. Loneliness can be overcome through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.