WITH US IS GOD!

Emmanuel: The name means “God with us.” But the unusual and emphatic position of the words making up the name show it should be understood, “WITH US is God!”

Thus, the name Emmanuel captures the awe and wonder of the incarnation, and the unimaginable fact that the God of the universe entered the stream of time to become one with us.

So often we hear from people that it is such a magical season...and I agree. 

There is a wonder, a joy, a hope, and a peace...and it blazes a trail through all that that is tarnished, sorrowful, hopeless, and turbulent. 

What really hurts is that our culture tries to sweep the truth under the rug of tolerance.

But on the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday, on the birthday of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, on this day that He should be recognized and honored for his coming into the world....He hardly enters our minds at all. 

It’s all about the bottom line...we go through the parade of Christmas dressed in a costume of materialism. 

But I love how Brennan Manning balances this: 

“Once a year the Christmas season strikes both the sacred and the secular spheres of life with a sledgehammer force:  suddenly Jesus Christ is everywhere.

           

For approximately one month His presence is inescapable.  You may accept him or reject him, affirm Him or deny him, but you cannot ignore him.  Of course He is proclaimed in speech, song, and symbol in all the Christian circles.  But he rides every red-nosed reindeer, lurks behind every cabbage patch doll, and resonates in the most desacralized “season’s greetings” and “happy holidays.”  Remotely or proximately He is toasted in every cup of Christmas cheer.  Each sprig of holly is a hint of his holiness, each cluster of mistletoe a sign he is here.

For those who claim His name, Christmas heralds this luminous truth:  The God of Jesus Christ is our absolute future.  Such is the deeply hopeful character of this sacred season.  By God’s free doing in Bethlehem, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  Light, life and love are on our side.”

Emmanuel: With us is God. Merry CHRISTmas.