God with Us

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:22-23

In our last installment we saw that the child born in Bethlehem was bringing more that season’s greetings or the “most wonderful time of the year.” He was bringing the kingdom of God. That kingdom is about the breaking of the age to come into this present age. It is about the divine intersecting the human realm. It is about Immanuel—God with us.


"God with us." Those three words tell us what life is not. It is not about people whose lives are as meaningful as a rock trying to use all the intellectual or literary or musical talent, they just accidentally have, to try and give it some meaning. It is not about trying to find enough entertainment, diversion or substances to help one forget it has no meaning.


"God with us." Life is about God who gives life its purpose. It is about God who wants to be with us. It is about a God we need to be with. It is about a God who comes to us. Specifically in this story, it is about a God who comes to us, first as a child. It is about a God we would never make up, who comes to us in weakness, even though he still has all power.


Life is about a God who comes to us, but who gives us a choice. In Jesus and in the Holy Spirit, he let’s us know: “God with us.” In our hearts we have to decide to say: “And I am going to be with God.”

Focus Scripture
 
John 1:7-14


He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.