Im·man·u·el [i mánnyoo ɘl]
NOUN
The Messiah referred to in Jewish and Christian scriptures, whom Christians believe to be Jesus Christ.
With Christmastime upon us, there are Christmas lights, tacky sweaters, excessive sales, and jingle bells everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of all of these things, but it’s not the root of the reason we are merry and bright. I love everything stereotypical about Christmas from the matching pjs to the hot chocolate, but all of these wonderful things bring temporary, fleeting happiness.
I am without a doubt my merriest during the winter, but I must remind my heart that it shouldn’t be because of the cold weather and festive tunes, it should be because God stepped out of heaven to be with me. Immanuel, God with us. Let us not lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas.
Immanuel first appears in scripture in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Starting from the beginning of time, all the way to the Old Testament, God knew that Jesus was going to come and be heaven wrapped in flesh and walk the earth with His people.
God knew we were going to sin and be separated from Him. He knew we were going to need something to bridge the gap between Himself and His children. He knew He wanted to spend eternity with us despite us. Despite the fact that heaven was beautiful and complete and perfect without us.
God loved us so much with His perfect, reckless, never-ending love that He gave up His one and only son so that we may have life and have it to the fullest in the most abundant way possible. God let His son die the most brutal death in all of history just so that we could seek His face and enter into a gracious and life-giving relationship with Him.
This Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet He came to us as a helpless baby born in a feeding trough to an unmarried, virgin teenager surrounded by animals. He deserved to have every eye watch Him descend from heaven crowned with the finest jewels while every knee bowed and every tongue confessed His permanent royalty and power, yet He came in such a humble, uncomfortable, and unexpected way.
He deserved all the attention, yet He made sure His time on earth in its entirety was fixated on God and how we can be in an eternal relationship with Him. This is why we rejoice. This is why a room full of sinners holding up their candlesticks in a dimmed church on Christmas Eve is my favorite five minutes out of the whole entire year.
Not because we all look like we belong on a Christmas card, the air is perfectly chilled, everything smells like baked goods, and there’s evergreen found in all my surroundings, but because Jesus was born so we could choose to be little candle lights for Him in this dark world that so desperately needs Him. This is the reason we sing peace on earth.
So yes please bake those Christmas cookies, but let your hunger for God be greater than your hunger for seasonal treats. Wear those sweaters, but let the love of Christ be what warms you to your core. Sing those carols, but let the good news of Immanuel, God with us, be the real reason your entire being sings. Hang all the Christmas lights your heart desires, but don’t forget to be the light of the world yourself.
Celebrate Christmas to the absolute maximum capacity, I absolutely adore the Christmastime, but I beg of you to keep the Savior of the world laying in a manger at the center of your heart this lovely holiday season.
The weary world rejoices for no other reason than she has received her King.
