Every year, it is Christmas time again. The hustle and bustle of the festive season distract us from its real meaning. This year I am pondering on Isaiah's prophecy, about 700 years in advance, proclaiming the birth of Jesus, the Redeemer, that all were waiting for. Isaiah 7:14: (The virgin) She will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Names are something special. Parents think long and hard about what name to give their child. Sometimes the meaning of a name also plays a role.
This name has a special meaning: Immanuel - God with us. Here, nomen est omen. With this name, God wants to make something clear. He, God, is the active one who comes to his people. - He is a God of closeness - not of distance. - He is a God in the here and now - not in the past. He is a God who is interested in you and your life, in a very personal way. - He is a God who longs to have fellowship with us. - God has revealed himself in Jesus. His kindness, compassion, mercy, humility, grace, and love are central. That is the right notion of God. Immanuel is also a promise that we are not left alone with our problems, fears, pain, and insecurities. God promises: “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” With this promise, we can enter the new year with confidence. Because then we will also pass this on to our fellow human beings and treat them with the same respect, kindness, and love that Jesus exemplified. - Then something new can begin. - May we celebrate God's presence and kindness as shown in Jesus throughout the New Year.
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God With Us
Christmas Greeting from EUD Women’s Ministries Director Dagmar Dorn