Emmanuel - God ‘In Person’
As a result of COVID 19, I now use the term ‘in-person’ regularly. My church offers Sunday School to children ‘in-person’ as well as ‘remotely.’ Our Sunday School children’s Christmas program this year was created with compiled video clips from our remote and ‘in-person’ students.
I teach exercise classes for Body & Soul® Fitness ‘in-person’ as well as via Zoom.
And meetings I attend for work are held ‘in-person’ and/or virtually.
As I am writing, we are nearing the end of the Advent season and I am listening to Chris Tomlin’s new album, Emmanuel, which in Hebrew means “God is with us”. Emmanuel is a name attributed to Jesus Christ, who came to be ‘God with us.’ Jesus Christ, Son of God and true God Himself, came to be with us ‘in person!’ What kind of god does that? What other ‘higher being’ would come to be ‘in person’ with his/her creation? Only the one true God would - and He did!
Jesus gave up His throne in heaven to come to earth as a human baby, be raised by human parents, submit to human authority and live a sinless human life so He could have a relationship with us. He did all of this to fulfill the plans of His Father in heaven - to fulfill His own plans as God - to save the world from sin and its consequences.
When Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, learned that Mary, a young woman to whom he was betrothed, was ‘found to be with child from the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 1:18) he considered ‘divorcing her quietly.’ (Matthew 1:19) Tough situation. But an angel of the Lord miraculously came to him, assuring Joseph of the truth of Mary’s pregnancy. The angel essentially told Joseph that Mary carried Immanuel. He said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us.) (Matthew 1:20-23) God assured Joseph that things would be ok. He was with him and soon would be with the rest of the world - ‘in-person.’
While I am grateful for the technology that allows us to safely meet remotely, it’s so much more meaningful, relational and comforting to meet ‘in-person.’ When we (like Joseph) are in tough situations (facing illness, loneliness or even grief), there is nothing like an ‘in-person’ friend being with you. Even when we cannot have that, our God is with us. He came ‘in-person’ as Jesus, our Emmanuel, continues to be with us as our Helper, the Holy Spirit, and promises to return one day to take all believers to heaven. There we will be ‘in -person’ with our ever-loving God forever! Merry Christmas!
