In the Old Testament, Jehovah -- once -- calls Himself "I AM". In Hebrew, the word is אֶהְיֶה , meaning "being", or "coming into being". This naming occurs in Exodus, when God appears to Moses in a burning bush, in the wilderness of Mount Horeb. It is one of the main spiritual turning points in the Bible, and the source of one of its deepest statements about God.

In that story, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had become enslaved in Egypt. They are numerous, but their connection with their forebears and with the land of Canaan is tenuous. The Pharaoh of that time "knew not Joseph". Their spiritual progress had stalled out.

Jehovah chooses Moses, herding sheep in the desert, to go back to Egypt and lead his people to freedom.

"And Moses said to God, 'Behold, I come to the sons of Israel, and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO is I AM'; and He said, 'Thus shalt thou say to the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me to you'." (Exodus 3:13, 14)

"I AM". It goes right to the very core of existence. Bigger than space, beyond time, uncreated.

Then, after many hundreds of years, with some people in Judea and its neighborhood still waiting for the promised Messiah, Jesus -- this maverick teacher and healer -- says the same thing. People sit up and take notice.

Here are the examples...

The disciples are in a small boat in a storm-wracked sea. Jesus comes to them, walking on the water:

"But straightway Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Have confidence; I am; be not afraid'." Matthew 14:27

Jesus is talking with a Samaritan woman at a well:

The woman says to Him, "I know that Messiah comes, who is called Christ; when He has come, He will announce to us all things." Jesus says to her, "I am, who speaks to thee." John 4:25, 26

Jesus is talking with his disciples:

"I said then to you that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins. Therefore they said to Him, Who art thou? And Jesus said to them, The Beginning, who also am speaking to you. John 8:24, 25

Later, in the same chapter, Jesus says again to the disciples,

"Amen, amen, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58

Near the end of his physical life, Jesus is talking with the disciples at the Last Supper:

"From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that when it has come to pass, you may believe that I am." John 13:19

Finally, when Jesus is being arrested, there's this powerful scene:

"Judas then, having received a band of soldiers and attendants from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes thither with lanterns, and lamps, and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that were coming on Him, went out and said to them, Whom do you seek? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus says to them, 'I am'.

And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them. When therefore He had said to them, I am, they went away backward, and fell on the ground. Again, therefore, He asked them, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you that I am; if then you seek Me, let these go away, that the word which He said might be fulfilled, Of those whom Thou gavest Me I have lost none. John 18:3-9

These "I am" statements by Jesus are not the same as the seven "I am" statements that are often listed -- those are also very interesting, but on a different track. The ones listed here are places where Jesus is declaring that He is God, that he is "I AM".

This is hugely important.

Isaiah prophesied that the Christ child would be God Himself, in human form:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.

Jesus is saying that same thing. Internally, He is "I am". And as he gradually puts off or purifies the more external human elements he took on so that He could walk among us, the internal shines through more and more.

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

These inspired words are remarkable for the fact that they state so plainly that it was the Father Himself who would come into the world, who would be born among people, and who, even during His time on the earth, would still bear the government of the universe.

In Isaiah's vision, he saw that in the future, a Child would be born - a holy Child, a wonderful Child, a Child who would fulfill all the hope of the ages, a Child who would combine in One Person the omnipotence of God and the approachability of man.

When this Child was finally born into the world, His Advent was noticed first by the wondering shepherds, to whom the angel said, "Do not be afraid, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Later this Child would be recognized and honored by costly gifts from the hands of the wise men of the East.

People have often wondered and been confused about the divinity of Christ. Mary herself, in the presence of the radiant angel Gabriel, was the first to ask the question: "How can this be?" And she was the first also to receive the Divine answer: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

If those who followed after Mary had not become blinded and confused by separating God into three Divine Persons, they would have been able to understand how this thing could be, from the prophecy of Isaiah. For he meant the Lord Jesus Christ when he spoke of the Child who was to be born. Isaiah goes on to name the qualities of this Divine Child, this Son. First, he calls Him a wonder Child - Wonderful; then a friend of those who are inquiring and restless - the wise Counselor; next a support in the combats that bow the human soul, when our own powers seem utterly futile and we long for someone who is mightier and greater than we - the Mighty God.

Some people have thought that when the Lord on earth prayed to His Father, He was praying to another person. But if we ponder the words of Isaiah we will realize that this Christ Child, the Baby of Bethlehem, would also be called the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace to eternity.

In the New Church, Christmas is a time to reaffirm our absolute belief in the One God in One Person, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. His coming into the world at Christmas time was the manifestation, in this world, of a power which had always been here. For God was always present in Bethlehem. He was there when it was David's home a thousand years before the wise men arrived from the East. And He is there today, for He is the ever-present Soul of the universe. But on that first Christmas Day the Lord God willed that His invisible Divine Life should take on a human form and substance, so that people might see and know Him more completely, love and worship Him, teach His Gospel and even be willing to give their lives for Him.

Each person's body reveals the soul, the character, the spirit, the personality within him. It is by the acts and deeds of the body that we show forth a kindly spirit or else withhold our love. So it was according to order that God Himself should also assume a body of His own, that He might lead and teach humankind. And once the Human touchability of God had been revealed, it could never be taken away.

And so as the meaning of the Lord's coming becomes ever clearer to us, as the clouds of doubt and misunderstanding are dispelled from our minds at this glad season, we may exclaim with the angelic hosts: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!"