Pastor’s message for the month of June
“God the Son: Emmanuel”
(Matt. 1: 18-23)
Have you ever felt the Presence of God?
In this Scripture passage, Jesus is given the additional name Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” It is important to note that the name of Jesus, itself, means “God is Salvation.” By connecting the two, we then come to understand that the full name for Christ, given to us in this passage, is “God is Salvation; God is with us.” Theologically speaking, we can extrapolate this even further and state that “God is our Salvation because God is with us.” This is a powerful statement. Often times, much of modern popular Christian theology teaches that God brings about our Salvation because of the sacrifice of Christ. Due to this thinking, we are reconciled into right relationship with God due to His Crucifixion, Death, Burial, and Resurrection. Granted, all of this is true to an extent. But the deeper truth is that we are reconciled to God because God is with us.
The Greek preposition “with” in this passage indicates more than mere accompaniment. Rather, it indicates an intimate presence, where the life of Jesus joins together with the life of humanity. The term is passionately close and personal. It is more subjective than objective. It is the difference between eating dinner within the company of strangers and that of eating dinner within the company of your spouse. The overall point is that God, in the act of taking on the flesh of humanity, has become deeply intimate and personal with us. It is in this intimacy, then, that Christ saves us.
Christ, who is God, is not detached from the humanity He created. Rather, He is in love with it. He has joined together with it. In this way, then, God eats with us. God laughs with us. God rejoices with us. God weeps with us. God suffers with us. God even experiences death with us. And since Christ is God, He is able to bring meaning and fulness to all of those experiences, as well as overcome any evil attached to them. Another way of understanding this is that Salvation, which is being reconciled into right relationship with God, occurs because God initiates a relationship with us! It is within the context of that relationship that all things redemptive happen, including the Cross.
So then, do you have reason to rejoice? Then, God is rejoicing with you. Are you weeping because of sadness? Then, God weeps with you. Is there a joke at which you laugh? Then, God is laughing with you. Are you suffering? Then, God suffers with you. Whatever you are facing or going through, Christ is there in your midst, with you, throughout it all. And through it, in those experiences, He is bringing into fullness His redemption into your life.
Dear Christ, Emmanuel, help me be more aware of Your Presence in my life. Help me be more aware of the reality that You are with me.
Amen.
