“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us.’” [Isaiah 7:14 NLT]
Approximately 700 years after that prophecy was given to Isaiah, a virgin named Mary from a little town called Nazareth was engaged to a man named Joseph. Joseph found out Mary was pregnant before they were married. As Joseph was considering what to do, an angel visited and confirmed that Mary had conceived a child through the Holy Spirit. When the child was born they were to name Him Jesus.
This was all reported in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew understood that this was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. [1:22-24]
God with us. Jesus, fully God and fully human, walked with us, talked with us, laid down His life for us. “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” [Colossians 2:9 NLT]
As we enter this holiday season with all its hoopla, stress, and worldly emphasis, let us never forget the “Reason for the Season.”
Jesus, Immanuel, “God is with us.” Amen & Amen
