All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" — which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:22 - 23
The name "Immanuel" appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated "with us is God" or, as Matthew's Gospel puts it, "God with us." When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin's disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God's love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel — he is still "God with us."
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Psalm 148:11, 13
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes , and all judges of the earth. . .Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
The wise men never took their eyes from the star. They had spent the better part of their adult lives watching for this very star to usher in the new Messiah. A new age was come upon the earth, and they devoted everything they had to meet it when it started. They had traveled for months, hoping for little more than a glimpse of the new babe who would set the world straight. Three of the most powerful men of the world committed themselves to worshipping the baby Jesus. Nothing was more important in all the world.
Is that true for us? Is Jesus the most important thing in all the world? Christ comes to us anew each Christmas, and we must ask ourselves what He means to us. For some, He will make us willing to give up everything to follow Him. For others, He will make us willing to begin the journey of the faith. Regardless of where we are in our faith, He will come to meet us there, and He will come with love and understanding.
The wise men never took their eyes from the star. They had spent the better part of their adult lives watching for this very star to usher in the new Messiah. A new age was come upon the earth, and they devoted everything they had to meet it when it started. They had traveled for months, hoping for little more than a glimpse of the new babe who would set the world straight. Three of the most powerful men of the world committed themselves to worshipping the baby Jesus. Nothing was more important in all the world.
Is that true for us? Is Jesus the most important thing in all the world? Christ comes to us anew each Christmas, and we must ask ourselves what He means to us. For some, He will make us willing to give up everything to follow Him. For others, He will make us willing to begin the journey of the faith. Regardless of where we are in our faith, He will come to meet us there, and He will come with love and understanding.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Christmas message
On Christmas Sunday, our pastor delivered a message about the birth of Christ. You think ho-hum, right? Our pastor asked if we ever thought about the birth of Jesus from Josephs perspective? Have you? I had not really, Joseph seems to be an elusive individual when it comes to the nativity. I wonder how I would feel to be the "dad" to the Son of God. What about you?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Forgiveness-Can we give it?
I was thinking this morning about the concept of forgiveness. God has provided ultimate forgiveness for those who have accepted Christs sacrifice. Can we who say that we are his representatives here on earth, can we forgive others the same way? Can we forgive an offense 7 x 70 as Jesus said? How do you feel about being both forgiven and providing the same measure of grace to the one who has offended you?