In Exodus chapter 32 we read of the children of Israel building a golden calf, they start to party and if it had not been for the intercession of Moses, the Israelites would have been destroyed. God says in Exodus 33:5 that because of their stiff necked and hard hearted nature, if He were to dwell in the midst of the people, then they would be consumed. So Moses pitches a tent outside of the camp of the Israelites, and there he and God meet regularly. The holiness of God, in the presence of our sinfulness, would mean instant judgment for our sins and iniquities.
All through the remaining of the old testament the people of Israel, in various degrees, have endeavoured to connect with God and to be close to him. In days past, God of spoke in various different ways, using His prophets and others to help the people connect with God. But there was always a distance, God could never be too close to His people because their sinfulness in the face of His holiness would be destructive to the people of God.
In John chapter 1 we see how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Christmas is about how God through Jesus Christ broke the barriers that would separate us from Him. Though sin would separate us from God, Jesus came as a human, a child, to provide a way for us to be near to God.
This Christmas take time to appreciate the birth of the Christ child, but also how He makes a way for us to be close to God, the Father.
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