CHRISTMAS STORY: GOD WITH US!

 

CHRISTMAS STORY: GOD WITH US! Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 One of the names for Jesus Christ is Immanuel which means "God is with us." In Israel, it was sometimes a battle cry. Soldiers would shout "Immanuel" to encourage themselves as they marched out to battle. (Even the Swedish troops used it as their battle cry during the 30 years’ war.) So, the Jews were expecting their messiah to be a Warrior-King-Messiah who would defeat all their enemies and set up a kingdom of peace and prosperity. When God arrived among them as a helpless infant born to peasant parents, identifying with the poorest and lowliest of mankind throughout His earthly life... Well, to say that this Messiah was not what the Jews were expecting, is an understatement. Jesus Christ came to experience life as one of us. God with us, even the most insignificant of us! He was surrounded by poor, sick, hurting people throughout his ministry. He was hungry, cold and tired. He owned nothing but the clothes on his back. He settled down among the lowly, met their needs and loved them. And then he died for them. Jesus the gentle, loving shepherd Savior is God with us: Immanuel.