Bible Passage: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:23
Jesus has many, many names in Scripture beyond simply “Jesus” or “Christ.”
They all mean something and teach us something about who He is. Even “Jesus” means “The LORD saves!”, reminding us of His mission, and “Christ” means “Anointed One,” reminding us of His appointment by God to save and rule the world.
But beyond Jesus Christ, my personal favorite name of Jesus shows up in today’s promise from about 700 years before His birth:
Immanuel.
It’s a Hebrew word, and for those of us who don’t speak Hebrew, Matthew would later give us the interpretation of what the name means (Matthew 1:23):
“God with us.”
It is a short, sweet, and poignant picture of who Jesus is.
God with us.
We know that, in a way, God is always with us, but in Jesus, God was literally with us. No longer off in Heaven or with us in an abstract sense, but actually, literally, here on earth with us.
God lived with us. God walked with us. God talked with us. God loved with us. God ate with us. God suffered with us. God bled with us. God died with us.
And God triumphed over death with us.
It changes everything.
Never again could men say that God was too far away or too impossible to know.
Never again could men say that God doesn’t understand or that He couldn’t relate to what we go through.
Never again could men say we are alone or lost in this challenging world.
Knowing this calls men to courage. It means we really are never alone. It means that God knows what we face intimately well. It means God understands your suffering, not just in theory, but personally.
It means that just as He overcame, we can, too.
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Immanuel, “God with us”—the ancient promise showing us that God always planned to draw near, told us He would do it, and then did it.
This Christmas, be a man who seeks the presence of this God who came down with us. Rejoice in and celebrate the birth of Immanuel. Point your loved ones towards His light. And rightfully rest in the peace that His nearness brings.
Prayer: Lord, may we rest this Christmas peacefully in Your presence and feel You “with us” as we remember and rejoice in Your birth. Amen.
Reflection: Where do you feel God “with you” the most in life? Go spend some time in that place or activity!
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