Because he is Emmanuel – One of us | Rev. Brooke Hartman

God attempted to intervene with his people as evidenced throughout the Old Testament.  There were 400 years silence from God between the Old and New Testaments that was broken with God coming to be with us through Jesus Christ – God incarnate.  The words of Isaiah 7:13-17 were spoken prophetically as a promise from God for the Israelites that would sustain multiple generations.  The author of Matthew references Isaiah 7:14 as he tells the story of how our God never gives up.  Our God came to be with us through Jesus Christ to a young mother trusting an unbelievable promise and a faithful husband protecting her on a dangerous journey.  The significance of God coming to be with us through Jesus Christ is as important now as it was then.  God with us was one of us but far more than that.  God came to us fully human and fully divine.  The story of God coming to be with us is rooted in God’s unconditional love and amazing grace for us.  Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:20 bookend Jesus time on earth, reminding us that our God who does not give up on us, continues to be with us.  Today, in the midst of all that challenges us, our God is with us.  Not only that, but we get to share about our God who came to be with us.  We get to share God’s love and grace to a world desperate for a God who does not give up.   

 Scripture:  Matthew 1:22-25; Isaiah 7:13-17