Category: Advent (Page 4 of 4)

Well tomorrow is Christmas. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of a child whose name was to be called Immanuel. But what does that name mean for you and me today? Many of us know the name Immanuel means God with us. But it goes deeper than that. Each letter in his name can remind us of exactly how God is with us.

Identity -When we hear that God is with us we are reminded of our new identity. We aren’t the same person we once were. We are different. We may look the same but we really aren’t. Because of the birth of this baby we call Jesus we’ll never be the same again.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

Me – When Jesus came on that first Christmas he made it personal. It was for you he came to live and ultimately die. It was for you personally that he did everything he did. It was so that you would know of your salvation.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

Mankind – But not just for you…for all of humanity as well. His death was good for all sin. His resurrection was good enough to open eternity for all people who believe. He came that all might have life and have it to the full.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Atonement – The process of paying a sacrifice owed was called atoning. When Jesus came as God’s own presence on this earth, he did it to atone or pay for you and me and all mankind.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  Romans 3:23-25

New Life – His birth means that our baptism has new meaning. His birth means that our life has new significance. By taking on human form he did what no other object of any religion across time has ever done. He came to us instead of making us go to him.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Under the Cross – His whole purpose in coming was to die that we might live. There was no plan B ever conceived. This was the only way to make us right. Which makes him the only way to the Father.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

Eternity – Eternity is a difficult thing to grasp. It’s hard for us to see exactly what this means. It’s longer than that really long day at work. It’s forever but that doesn’t really help. His coming means we will have a time when time no longer exists. We’ll live in a place and time where time and space no longer matter.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

Love – Probably one of the most over used yet misunderstood words in the American language – love. It’s a word we throw around too loosely. But real love is something few of us really experience until we understand God’s amazing grace. And when we experience it, it completely changes the way we see life. When Jesus was born he opened my eyes to be able to love differently because he loved me when I was un-lovable. Now you too are made lovable, not by what you’ve done but by who He is – God with us – Immanuel.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

May your celebration of Christmas be one that is all about Immanuel – God Is With Us.