"Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:1

Over 700 years before the Birth of Christ, God through the prophet Isaiah gave this prophecy. A prophecy that said God would come and be with us. That is what the name "Immanuel" means. It means God with us. In Matthew 1:23 we read: "The virigin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, "God with us." People were starving for God's presence and they were wondering if God would ever come to their rescue. It was this prophecy that gave them hope.

God gives hope! As you read this letter know that you are loved by God. Corrie Tenboom a lady from Holland who had been through the concentration camps as a prisoner in World War Two and saw her sister killed by prison guards wrote: "No pit is so deep that God is not yet deeper still." She knew that the hope that God gives is supernatural. She knew that the peace that God gives goes beyond all understanding. Why? Because God is crazy in love with you and me. I use the word "crazy" because that is word that best fits God's love.

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever seen others in love? When two people are in love they seem to always want to be with each other, they always want to talk to each other. When they are not together then they seem to want to talk on the phone for long periods of time. This kind of love is only satisfied when the two are together. God knew this and that is why he gave to us the gift of marriage. When you love so much that you can not live without the other person then God says its time you were married - cemented together with God's blessing that no one can separate because God has brought you together and given to you, your hearts desire, in each other and blesses you.

Now think about God's love for you. God is the source of love. He never wants to leave you, He never will forsake you. He always wants to talk to you (His Word the Bible) and He always wants you to talk to Him (prayer). Even when we fail and fall, He is right there ready to forgive and pick us up and love us. Even when our sin, wrong doings, killed Jesus, it was God's way of providing a way to take care of sin so that we could receive heaven and be with God for eternity. That is crazy love! It is a love that cares, forgives, and never lets us go. It is a love that is meant for everyone. In John 3:16-17 Jesus tells us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

Wow! That is God's crazy love for you and me. We fail, we fall, we sin, we do wrong and hurt ourselves and others, yet God forgives us and comes to us in Jesus so that we could be made right with God. Even if we don't believe in God, He still loves us. Our love does not depend on His love. He is crazy in love with us. However, when someone gives you a present you need to receive it. God comes to you in Jesus and wants you to receive this crazy gift of love. First you need to realize that you are not perfect, you need forgiveness, you need love. God opens our eyes and ears and hearts to see our short comings and the hopelessness we bring and then He empowers us to see the hope that He gives and the Love He gives to us In Jesus.

Jesus you see is God with us! That's crazy love... That is a love that lasts not just a day or two. It is a love that doesn't stop when we fail or fall. It is a love that "keeps on keeping on" because it is a love that comes from the source - God. As we think about this Christmas and as we think about our own lives - know that you are loved by God. Know that God would rather die for you than live without you! That is crazy love! That is God with us.

God loves you! That is the gift and message of Christmas... Immanuel!

With love, laughter, thanksgiving and joy from Jesus and me...