Today’s weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).- Matthew 1:23
“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
Insight: As we march this week towards the climax of the frenetic holiday consumerism that has overtaken the real meaning of Christmas, today we will pause to reflect on the real cause of the true awe and wonder of the Christmas story. God loved us so much that He literally came to be with us. That is the greatest cause for hope we will ever have. The name Immanuel, which appears in both the gospel of Matthew and the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah, means “God with us.” This is the name that pronounces Jesus as God in the flesh. The incarnate God who left the peace and beauty of eternal heaven to come draw close to His Creation. He came to experience all that we experience as humans and ultimately to die a sacrificial death to bear our sins on his body so we could be forgiven of our sins and reconciled back to a Holy and pure God for all those who believe in His name. Romans 3:25-26 describes this amazing exchange of what took place on the Cross like this: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
It is truly mind blowing to consider the depth of God’s love for us that He sent Jesus to die a gruesome death so that our sins could be forgiven. It was the only way to redeem the brokenness of humanity that took place in the Garden of Eden. John 3:16 famously says “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.” It is because of the revelation of Immanuel, “God with us,” the Incarnate One that we can have such a personal and intimate relationship with our Savior. He is not some distant, or aloof God incapable of understanding us or what we are going through. In fact, when He died on the Cross, each one of us was on His mind as if we were the only person in the world.
It is precisely because He is a personal God who can relate to us that we can be truly set free when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. He gets it. When we hurt, He hurts. When our marriages fall apart, it hurts Him. When we suffer injustice because of His name, it hurts Him. When people mourn the loss of loved ones, He mourns alongside us. Hebrews 13:5 says “ He never leaves us or forsakes us,” and Hebrews 2:18 lets us know He understands and is compassionate towards us when we are tempted by the great deceiver when it says “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Jesus suffered greatly when He was tempted in the wilderness by satan, as Matthew 4 reveals, and therefore He can so relate to our weakness around temptation. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, and that is the greatest news I could ever think of. He is not distant, in fact He is as near to you as you will allow Him to be. Invite Him in, He is waiting to help you and relieve all of your burdens and remove all of your anxiety, as Matthew 11:28-30 promises: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that You are not some distant God but that You came close to us as Immanuel, God with us, so that we aren’t left alone to deal with the tough things that happen to us as a result of living in a broken and sin marred world. You are intimate, You are here, and You are with us and for us. Thank You Lord! Amen!
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