Immanuel — ‘God With Us’

They will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”) – Matthew 1:23

A couple weeks ago, our daughter, her husband, and their one-month-old baby joined us for Thanksgiving. They live just a few hours away. This is their first child.

It’s hard to put it into words. But somehow, having a newborn in one’s house puts life into perspective for a couple sixty-year-olds. In my personal opinion, Ticketmaster can’t deliver anything comparable to being able to hold a contented newborn baby in one’s arms.

Obviously, that little baby wasn’t always happy. She cried. She sometimes fussed in having trouble falling asleep at naptime. That baby needed a lot of attention. And she didn’t help with any of the housework. And yes, I can identify with all the parents of newborns out there saying, “Being a grandparent is easy. Just come and take care of this child for a month at our house!” I hear you.

But this little child gave, and still gives something to all of us by her mere presence. No one’s future is known for certain. But odds are good that as the lives of her grandparents and even her parents wind down, this little child’s life will be the future focus of the family. She might just be the child who will feed me with a spoon someday.

Even moreso with the Child promised to Mary and Joseph. After sharing how a messenger of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to validate what Mary had told him, the Apostle Matthew writes: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel which means “God with us”. Matthew 1:22-23

In the back of my mind, it would seem to me that even the person who has little use for God recognizes that a day of reckoning will come for us. There is a designer behind every design, and an even more brilliant architect behind the most breathtaking structures.

I envision judgement day being something akin to what happened to Boston native Stephen Zevitas. When a locked boot was put on Stephen’s car because he parked in a no parking zone, he went before the judge to pay the $100 fine. But upon arrival, the judge shared, “Stephen, it’s not about paying just one ticket. You owe us for 574 violations that need to be paid!” Stephen Zevitas had the resources to cough up $15,000 that day.

As I’ve come to understand the Ten Commandments, I have far more than 575 violations against God. There may well be that many and more, each and every day, when one realizes that even evil thoughts like coveting are sins against the Lord. What hope is there for me, standing before the judgement seat of God, who knows everything in our minds and hearts over a lifetime?

As I look ahead to that day, all my sure and certain hope is found in that Child promised to Mary and Joseph. He, Jesus, is God with us.

Our grandchild might be able to give us a few tastes of joy and consolation on earth. But an old man who preceded me and named Simeon had it right – this babe Jesus was the Child who came to bring consolation to all (Luke 2:25).

And how did that Babe of Bethlehem accomplish that? He lived the perfect life we should have lived, and died the death we deserved to die. And after all that, Jesus promises to continue to walk with us in our daily lives. Allow Him to chat with you through His Word. He’s Immanuel – God with us!

What a Child! What a gift!

John Lehenbauer, Pastor

Christ Lutheran Church and School, Perry, Georgia

christlutheranperry@gmail.com

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