Meandering - Welcome Immanuel

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

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Matthew 1:23

How sweet it is to call Jesus, Immanuel - God with us. Yet, hard to fathom. If we totally comprehended this truth it would stagger us, literally. Pause to really ponder it, “God with us.” The eternal Son of God became completely human so that he could be with us. Like us in every way, though never sinning, he can relate to us. In all our struggles, he continues to be “God with us,” our “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  

Jesus, in order to be with us in a loving relationship, broke down the barrier of our sin that separates us from God. This redemptive rescue is seen in Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” God is with us now, saving us from our sin through Christ, and empathetically helping us by the Holy Spirit’s ministry to reject evil and pursue righteousness. It’s comforting to know that Jesus, our Mediator - fully God and fully human, understands our temptations and trials, assuring us that he is not only with us now, but will also never leave us or forsake in the future (Hebrews 13:5). 

Thanks for meandering along with me,
Pastor Daniel