Emmanuel
Mat. 1:23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
This verse is a quote from Isaiah 7:14 and reveals an aspect of God that is so important. God is with us. With us, in that He is for us. He is on our side. He isn’t against us; He isn’t mad at us; He is not trying to hurt us. He is with us! It also refers to the fact that God is present. He is not far away but near. He is not sometimes near, but is continually present with us. Emmanuel is the union of deity and humanity. God became flesh through the means of the virgin birth. There was no sin filled seed of man involved. Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Her womb was a vessel, carrying the Son of God.
The incarnation of Jesus Christ, God made flesh, revealed to man the true nature of God. Before this single event, God was an enigma to man. Some saw Him as fire, wind, smoke or some other fearsome manifestation, but few knew Him personally. He was feared by many and worshipped for His awesomeness and majesty, yet unknown as Father and He called only a few His friends. Jesus brought God to each one of us.
The Good News is that Jesus came to open the way back to Father God so that we could be able to communicate with Him. You don’t have to scream or shout to get His attention. Just a whisper will do. He is with us. In Revelations 3:20, we see a picture of the Lord standing at the door and knocking. He is outside, wanting to come in. If we open the door, He will come in and “sup”, or commune, with us. His invitation is to know Him just as He knows you. He wants to “get under your skin”, to live inside of you. This is the “good tidings of great joy” that the angel announced at Jesus’ birth.
When we participate in the Lord’s supper, or communion, we are symbolically eating the Lord’s body and drinking His blood. This is an external type of what happens internally when we invite Christ Jesus into our lives. We are in Christ and Christ in us. (Col. 1.27) To commune with someone is also to be intimate with that person. It is to talk about important issues; to be transparent and sincere. If God were far from us, He would never talk to us. But He does communicate to us in many ways and we can talk to Him. There is no need to be superficial or present a polished image. When we commune with God we can just be ourselves. He loves us just as we are. That is freeing and that is Good News.
Christmas is the celebrating of this experience with God. God came to man; to save him from sin and to fellowship with him. God is here. Emmanuel has come. He is no longer a mystery or some kind of manifestation of power. The bridge between God and man is Jesus. He wants to talk to you and walk with you. He wants to share His life with you. Open the door and invite Him in.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Heb. 13:5; Rom. 8:31; II Chron. 19:7; Rev. 3:20, Isaiah 7:13-14; 9:6