在公元五世紀，愛爾蘭主教聖派翠克寫道：「基督與我同在，基督在我前面，基督在我後面，基督在我裡面，基督在我下方，基督在我上方，基督在我右邊，基督在我左邊……。」當我讀到馬太福音耶穌降生的描述時，這些句子不斷在我心中迴盪，就像溫暖的擁抱，讓我知道自己永不孤單。

馬太的敘述說明了聖誕節的核心意義，乃是上帝與祂的子民同在。正如馬太引述以賽亞的預言說，有一嬰孩將被稱為以馬內利，意思就是「上帝與我們同在」（以賽亞書7章14節），並指出耶穌實現了這預言。耶穌就是藉著聖靈的大能而生，並與人同在的上帝。這真理至關重要，馬太的福音書由它起始，也以它作為結尾。馬太用耶穌對門徒說的話總結說：「我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。」（馬太福音28章20節）

聖派翠克的頌詞提醒了我，基督會透過聖靈永遠與信徒同在。當我感到慌亂或懼怕時，可以緊抓住基督的應許，確信祂永不離開我。當我輾轉難眠時，可以求祂賜下平安。當我滿有喜樂時，可以感謝祂在我生命中的恩典作為。

耶穌的名為以馬內利，就是「上帝與我們同在」。

“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left . . .” These hymn lyrics, written by the fifth-century Celtic Christian St. Patrick, echo in my mind when I read Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth. They feel like a warm embrace, reminding me that I’m never alone.

Matthew’s account tells us that God dwelling with His people is at the heart of Christmas. Quoting Isaiah’s prophecy of a child who would be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isa. 7:14), Matthew points to the ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy—Jesus, the One born by the power of the Holy Spirit to be God with us. This truth is so central that Matthew begins and ends his gospel with it, concluding with Jesus’s words to His disciples: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

St. Patrick’s lyrics remind me that Christ is with believers always through His Spirit living within. When I’m nervous or afraid, I can hold fast to His promises that He will never leave me. When I can’t fall asleep, I can ask Him to give me His peace. When I’m celebrating and filled with joy, I can thank Him for His gracious work in my life.

Jesus, Immanuel—God with us.