Advent Reflection: Immanuel

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.' "

Matthew 1:23

Several years ago a popular song celebrated the fact that "God is watching us from a distance." From his far away perch, God sees the beauty and harmony of this world, rather than its brokenness and strife. For some reason, this out-of-touch divine perspective was supposed to encourage us to be more loving and peaceful.

The biblical story celebrates the opposite truth. Not only is God intimately involved with this world in general, but he actually entered this world as a human being. The child conceived within Mary's womb was indeed "Immanuel," which means in Hebrew, "God with us."

When we face struggles at home or setbacks at work, when we suffer physical pain or seek to alleviate the injustice in our world, there is nothing more encouraging than the fact that God is with us. God was with us in the once-for-all incarnation of the Word in Jesus Christ. And God continues to be with us through the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and in our fellowship with other Christians.



QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When is the presence of God most obvious to you? How would you live differently today if you really believed that God is with you?

PRAYER: Gracious God, it would be so much easier for you if you simply watched us from a distance. You'd be safely removed from the pain, confusion, and sin of this world. Yet in your grace and love you have chosen to draw near to us, to see our struggle, to feel our disappointments, to bear our sorrows. In Jesus Christ, Immanuel, you have come to be with us. All praise be to you, dear God, for the wonder and mercy of the Incarnation.

Thank You, Lord, for continuing to be with us through the Spirit. How wonderful to know that you will always be with us, that you will never leave us or forsake us. Even in times when you seem distant, you are still there for us.

Open our eyes, Lord, to see you more clearly. Open our hearts to sense your presence. Open our minds to know you in greater truth. Amen.

Image courtesy of Laity Lodge, one of our sister programs in the Foundations for Laity Renewal.