Sent: Jesus is God With Us

Emmanuel. God is with us. The prophets (e.g. Isaiah 7:14; 41:10) and the Psalms (e.g. 46:7) are covered with language of assurance that God is with us. Scripture speaks about God's presence in people's lives, and with us, in both the Old Testament (e.g. Joshua 1:9)  and New Testament (Matthew 1:23). This is a very common theme in Scripture, and I am so glad it is.

This word Emmanuel has become a defining term of how God relates to the people of God; this is a word that encompasses God's relation to the world. God is with us. 

During this Advent season, we focus on the terms hope, peace, joy, and love. We are assured that God is truly with us through Christ  because Jesus was sent to reconcile, set us free, and Jesus is Emmanuel (we will also discover/be reminded that Jesus brings new life, and Jesus changes everything). God is with us in the pain, the joy, through everything.

I believe that, especially during this special holiday season, that we long for this. We long for the hope, peace, joy, and love that God brings us through Christ. We long for God to be with us, and for all that brings into our lives and into this world.

There is no doubt much pain, confusion, and fear in the world today. Our hearts break for refugees in Europe, our minds are confused by the different messages we are told by our leaders, and we are scared of the world has become. But God says I am with you.

Emmanuel is not a solution to all of these problems.

Last night I was watching a rerun episode of one of my favorite shows "Modern Family." Phil was at a spa, where he started a conversation with some other women there. These women overheard a conversation Phil had with his wife, Claire (he had her on speaker phone), and they gave Phil advice. Claire was voicing her problems, and Phil was offering solutions to them. What the women told Phil was that she was not looking for solutions, she was looking for Phil to be with her, to offer her support and love through her problems.

God knows what it takes to have a true relationship with us. Yes, we look to God for answers, and God is there for us. But I believe that there is no greater portrait of love than to be with someone, with all of your support and friendship. God knows. God is with us.