Emmanuel - God with Us

    It seems everywhere we go at this time of year, Christmas carols are playing. To drive to appointments or to shop for groceries to the strains of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" seems out of place. But on second thought, no, actually, it's quite appropriate.
    As Christ-followers, we believe that God created and is sustaining everything in all creation. In the large decisions of life, and in the nitty-gritty of the daily routines, we understand "God with us". Matthew, in his Gospel, stresses the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and begins and ends the book (see Matthew 28:20) with promises that God is with us. Emmanuel - One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus. God with us.  Emmanuel indicates Jesus' role, bringing God's presence to man. God is gracious to His people by sending the Messiah. When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making Himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin and pain and the messiness of life, in order to cancel sin's claim. Take comfort. God is with us.     (Source: blueletterbible.org, faithgateway.com)

                            C. Verbeek, Principal