Day Twenty-Five

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

The name Emmanuel (or Immanuel) is one we typically reflect on during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. It is such a powerful word to consider as we think about the incarnation, recognizing that “God with us” is the perfect description of what took place when Jesus was born. It is the very fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, recalled by the gospel writer Matthew:

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.” (which means ‘God with us’).”—Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)

But Emmanuel is not a word reserved for only a few weeks of the year. It is a reality that takes on deeper meaning the more we move through the church calendar, because each of the major seasons of the Christian year speak to a different aspect of “God with us”:

At Advent and Christmas, we celebrate the God who comes to dwell among as a tiny baby, participating in everything it means to be one of us.

At Lent and Easter, we remember the God who demonstrates self-sacrificial love, making a way to be with us without the barrier of sin.

At Pentecost, we offer ourselves anew to the God who pours out his Spirit on the church so that he can be with us in indwelling presence and power.

When we consider the whole breadth of what it means for God to be with us, what it cost for God to be with us, and the remarkable truth that he actually lives within us…the name Emmanuel becomes a year-round gift for us to ponder and celebrate. It is not only a word that speaks to a past event, it also speaks to a present reality.

But that’s not all. Emmanuel is also a name that speaks to our future hope. While we give thanks for the incarnation, for the cross and the empty tomb, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit, we acknowledge that our current experience of “God with us” is never complete. We are people who are looking forward to a day when the reality of God being among us will be experienced in fullness. In the book of Revelation, a voice proclaims the hope of this promise:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’”—Revelation 21:1-4 (NRSV)

In our present experience, we know that God, by his Spirit, is with us at all times. We are never left abandoned or alone, even when it seems the sorrows and turmoils of this world are too much to bear. At those times we know “God with us” in a powerful way, receiving the comfort that he alone can give.

But friends, a day is coming when “God with us” will mean an end to those sorrows and turmoils forever. And the experience of Emmanuel that we know in the here and now will become an experience of Emmanuel beyond our greatest imaginings.

What a glorious day that will be. Until then, we rest in the knowledge that the one who came to Earth, who suffered and died for our sins, who was raised from the grave, and who poured out his Spirit at Pentecost…we know that he is with us.

He is Emmanuel.

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified
Emmanuel
God with us
My heart sings a brand new song
The debt is paid these chains are gone
Emmanuel
God with us

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to ponder the name Emmanuel? How has God shown himself to you in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) What images come to your mind when you hear the name Emmanuel? Are they all entirely rooted in the Christmas season? What images or practices could you ponder and build into your devotional life as a way to expand your idea of “God with us?”

3) One of the ways God promises to be with us is in community. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt. 18:20, NIV). How have you experienced “God with us” in your relationships and community?

4) The lyrics of this week’s song speak to a giving of ourselves in response to the ways God has given himself to us. Sit with these lyrics and pray through how they reflect your own spiritual journey:

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified
Emmanuel
God with us
My heart sings a brand new song
The debt is paid these chains are gone
Emmanuel
God with us
Such a tiny offering compared to Calvary
Nevertheless we lay it at Your feet

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”—John 14:23 (NRSV)