Well tomorrow is Christmas. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of a child whose name was to be called Immanuel. But what does that name mean for you and me today? Many of us know the name Immanuel means God with us. But it goes deeper than that. Each letter in his name can remind us of exactly how God is with us.
Identity -When we hear that God is with us we are reminded of our new identity. We aren’t the same person we once were. We are different. We may look the same but we really aren’t. Because of the birth of this baby we call Jesus we’ll never be the same again.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13
Me – When Jesus came on that first Christmas he made it personal. It was for you he came to live and ultimately die. It was for you personally that he did everything he did. It was so that you would know of your salvation.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
Mankind – But not just for you…for all of humanity as well. His death was good for all sin. His resurrection was good enough to open eternity for all people who believe. He came that all might have life and have it to the full.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Atonement – The process of paying a sacrifice owed was called atoning. When Jesus came as God’s own presence on this earth, he did it to atone or pay for you and me and all mankind.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:23-25
New Life – His birth means that our baptism has new meaning. His birth means that our life has new significance. By taking on human form he did what no other object of any religion across time has ever done. He came to us instead of making us go to him.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Under the Cross – His whole purpose in coming was to die that we might live. There was no plan B ever conceived. This was the only way to make us right. Which makes him the only way to the Father.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14
Eternity – Eternity is a difficult thing to grasp. It’s hard for us to see exactly what this means. It’s longer than that really long day at work. It’s forever but that doesn’t really help. His coming means we will have a time when time no longer exists. We’ll live in a place and time where time and space no longer matter.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15
Love – Probably one of the most over used yet misunderstood words in the American language – love. It’s a word we throw around too loosely. But real love is something few of us really experience until we understand God’s amazing grace. And when we experience it, it completely changes the way we see life. When Jesus was born he opened my eyes to be able to love differently because he loved me when I was un-lovable. Now you too are made lovable, not by what you’ve done but by who He is – God with us – Immanuel.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
May your celebration of Christmas be one that is all about Immanuel – God Is With Us.
Today we resurrected an old tradition in our family. We went to spend Christmas with my grandparents. We used to always celebrate Christmas with them on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. But before we could really get started with our celebration I was asked a deep and heartfelt question. 
I do a lot of listening. Perhaps more than most people realize. Most people see me talking but you’d be surprised the things I can hear. One of the comments that echoes around this time of year is a complaint of sorts. Often in Christian circles people will complain about the greetings of the season. Should people say Merry Christmas? Or is it more appropriate to say Happy Holidays? 
We’ve all seen it. Many of us have one in our houses this time year. Our churches pull them out of storage as we approach Christmas. The manger scene is a staple in our Christian celebrations of Christmas. We’re so familiar with the characters in the story that we likely don’t even give it much thought. The wisemen came from lands afar to see the baby born. The shepherds respond to the angels’ call to hail the birth of an unlikely king. Mary and Joseph were just trying to find out what it meant to be parents as they coddled their newborn son in the stable that quiet night.
I don’t like to stop. I often am afraid that while I’m asleep I’ll miss something important. This is a large reason why I stay up late and rise early. But there’s another kind of sleep that has crept in and started to affect us all. It’s the sleep of complacency. 
Since there are only so many weeks to celebrate Christmas and there are some pretty great Christmas songs, I thought it’d be good to take a few weeks of our #musicmonday this year and celebrate Christmas. Christmas this year is a song that talks of the transition between fall and Christmas. The message is one of anticipation. 
For those of you that know me well, one thing you would certainly not say is that I’m a traditional kind of guy. I don’t sit still long enough to establish traditions. I love to try new things with the intent of meeting and connecting with new people. I’m one of those blaze your own trail kind of guys. Or to quote another phrase grass doesn’t grow under my feet. 
Mondays are great days to look back and to look ahead. When we look back, we reflect on where we’ve been. We see the good and the bad. We, at times, relive the mistakes we’ve made. We feel regret over our failures. Shame often takes over and brings us to our knees in what we believe to be a pile of nothingness. But other days when we look back we can smile because we know that through all of it, God was always by our side. 
Since Christmas is by all appearances behind us, I thought it important to post another Christmas song this week. Actually, Christmas is a season. It’s not just a single day. I’m sure that if you drive through your neighborhood tonight, you’ll likely see trees disposed by the curb, lights removed, and extra garbage by the curb. But it’s important that as followers of Jesus, we keep Christmas going! This week’s song will hopefully do just that – keep Christmas going!