Emmanuel: God is With Us
Ho ho ho! Now we're getting near the heart of the whole matter, my friends. Because there's a special name woven into the Christmas story — a name that holds the deepest meaning of all. The old prophecies said the child would be called Emmanuel. And Emmanuel means something simply wonderful. It means "God with us."
God with us. Just sit with those three little words for a moment. Not God far away, watching from a great distance. Not God up on some unreachable mountaintop. Not God locked away behind palace gates where ordinary folks could never come near. No — God with us. Right here. Among us. One of us.
And isn't that exactly what the whole story has been showing us all along? Think back over everything we've talked about. Heaven didn't send its good news to the rich and powerful first. It sent it to humble shepherds in a cold field. The Savior wasn't born in a golden palace. He was born in a borrowed stable and laid in a feeding trough. He came not to lord over ordinary people, but to be born right in the middle of them, in the plainest, humblest way imaginable.
That's the great wonder of Christmas, my friends. The most important being in all the universe chose to come close. To draw near. To be with us, in our ordinary lives, in our humble little corners of the world. To know what it's like to be cold, and tired, and hungry. To be held by a mother and taught by a father. To live among ordinary people in an ordinary town.
God with us. Not above us, not beyond us, but with us.
Now, old Santa visits a great many homes each Christmas, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm only there for a moment — just long enough to leave the presents and nibble a cookie before I'm off again. But the gift of that first Christmas was something far greater and far more lasting than anything I carry in my sack. It was the promise that you are never, ever truly alone.
That's what "God with us" means. It means that no matter how dark the night, no matter how cold the field, no matter how full the inn or how long the road — there is someone with you. Hope came near. Love came close. And it came to stay.
I think that's why this season touches our hearts so deeply, even when we can't quite put our finger on why. Underneath all the lights and the gifts and the festive bustle, there's that quiet, beautiful promise humming along. You are not alone. You were never meant to be alone. God is with us.
So this Christmas, if you're ever feeling small, or lonely, or lost in the shuffle of it all, remember that name. Emmanuel. God with us. It was true in that stable long ago, and it's true for you, right now, tonight.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Ho ho ho! https://santaclaus.top/emmanuel-god-is-with-us/
Ho ho ho! Now we're getting near the heart of the whole matter, my friends. Because there's a special name woven into the Christmas story — a name that holds the deepest meaning of all. The old prophecies said the child would be called Emmanuel. And Emmanuel means something simply wonderful. It means "God with us."
God with us. Just sit with those three little words for a moment. Not God far away, watching from a great distance. Not God up on some unreachable mountaintop. Not God locked away behind palace gates where ordinary folks could never come near. No — God with us. Right here. Among us. One of us.
And isn't that exactly what the whole story has been showing us all along? Think back over everything we've talked about. Heaven didn't send its good news to the rich and powerful first. It sent it to humble shepherds in a cold field. The Savior wasn't born in a golden palace. He was born in a borrowed stable and laid in a feeding trough. He came not to lord over ordinary people, but to be born right in the middle of them, in the plainest, humblest way imaginable.
That's the great wonder of Christmas, my friends. The most important being in all the universe chose to come close. To draw near. To be with us, in our ordinary lives, in our humble little corners of the world. To know what it's like to be cold, and tired, and hungry. To be held by a mother and taught by a father. To live among ordinary people in an ordinary town.
God with us. Not above us, not beyond us, but with us.
Now, old Santa visits a great many homes each Christmas, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm only there for a moment — just long enough to leave the presents and nibble a cookie before I'm off again. But the gift of that first Christmas was something far greater and far more lasting than anything I carry in my sack. It was the promise that you are never, ever truly alone.
That's what "God with us" means. It means that no matter how dark the night, no matter how cold the field, no matter how full the inn or how long the road — there is someone with you. Hope came near. Love came close. And it came to stay.
I think that's why this season touches our hearts so deeply, even when we can't quite put our finger on why. Underneath all the lights and the gifts and the festive bustle, there's that quiet, beautiful promise humming along. You are not alone. You were never meant to be alone. God is with us.
So this Christmas, if you're ever feeling small, or lonely, or lost in the shuffle of it all, remember that name. Emmanuel. God with us. It was true in that stable long ago, and it's true for you, right now, tonight.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Ho ho ho! https://santaclaus.top/emmanuel-god-is-with-us/
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