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Weekly Devotional

December 23, 2008

God’s Peace be with you all.

Matthew 1:22 - 25   ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  ²³ "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).  ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,  ²⁵ but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. 

Isaiah 7:14  ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Psalm 46:4-7, 11   ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.  ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early.  ⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.  ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

This morning I selected three bible verses for you instead of the usual one.  We are all familiar with the text from Matthew, which we use during this Advent season to describe the birth of Jesus.  It is a text that is only found in Matthew, as the other three Gospel’s do not reference “Emmanuel”.  Nor do they reference the alternate spelling of “Immanuel”.  However, Isaiah references “Immanuel” twice, once in the verse above, and again in chapter 8.

As we learn in Matthew, Emmanuel does mean “God with us.”  To be more appropriate, it actually means “With us (Emmanu) is God (el)”.  As it is defined in the Isaiah text, this is the name of a child, symbolizing the presence of God to deliver his people.  It is a declaration of trust and confidence in the Divine.  The name Emmanuel embodies the divine promise of protection to Jerusalem.  This brings us to the third scripture above.

The people of Israel were confident that God was going to save them eternally.  God always provided comfort, shelter, and security in the midst of all that happening in the world.  A prophetic word uttered about God coming to live with the people was a popular one.  The people wouldn’t have to rely on priests and prophets to talk to God, but could instead do it themselves.  What a wonderful thing to look forward to!  God will be living among the people, not in a tent, not on the mercy seat of the ark, not in the temple, but instead walking around with the people.  God will be flesh and blood, and yet at the same time divine.  God will be with the people, God will be their refuge. 

Enter a lowly virgin, with a husband that wants to dismiss her quietly.  God has come to live among the people.  Emmanuel is his name.  God has come near to all the people of the world, to offer comfort and security in the midst of an unstable world.  What a wonderful gift that truly is.

In our prayers this week: 

Alma, Ann, Doris and her mom, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Richard Green, Nancy Gillespie

God’s Peace,

Pastor Judson