Often we celebrate Christmas, overlooking the very essence of Christmas. For most of us, Christmas is merely a time of shopping, caroling, feasting, partying, greeting, decorating and presenting gifts. To realize the true magnitude of Christmas, I assume, we need to understand Jesus Christ, the Messiah, through the eyes of ‘Immanuel’. As we all know, Immanuel means ‘God be with us’. But, we need to be aware of the fact that this ‘Immanuel’ is not just one of the names of Jesus, but His own very nature of being with us. Therefore, I do believe that, it is integral to the celebration of Christmas to have a full and perfect understanding of Jesus as Immanuel, residing with us.
For certain, as the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, He is with us world without end, in our pains and pleasures, sorrows and joys, tears and smiles, and despairs and hopes. He can take us through the thick and thin and hold us in our ups and downs, lead us through the rifts and ridges. His love never ends, mercy never dries and care never fails. The manger in which He was born, the cross on which He was nailed, the grave in which He was buried (and of course from which He resurrected) prove how faithful and indisputable is His ‘Immanuel-ness.’ And, therefore we ought to celebrate His Advent, not just as a season but as the very reason for this season.
However, the fact that He is Immanuel, meaning ‘God be with us,’ is not just a matter of celebration but also a matter of contrition. He was born as the most vulnerable stranger in a manger, born to an unmarried couple, through a virgin, cradled in a stable and saddled on a donkey. He was born as the Immanuel in and through these conditions. AND HE CONTINUES TO BE BORN TODAY as ‘Immanuels’ outside the fringes of the society, as strangers, born to many unwedded mothers having no diapers, cradles, feeding bottles, baby-sitters, and toys. The tears of their mothers drench their face, the weeping of their fathers becomes their lullaby, rubbish for many becomes food for them, and junk for many becomes precious gift for them.
Yes…HE IS WITH US ALWAYS…as the IMMANUEL …VULNERABLE. Do we see Him? Do we know Him? Do we love Him?
Our lives are so packed this season, aren't they? There really isn't any room for anything other than shopping, preparing, decorating, partying and caroling. Our lives are so busy and so scheduled. We pay little attention not only to the voice Immanuel from heaven, as God in Christ is still trying to find a way to get in to our lives but also to the cries of many Immanuels born outside the margins of our society craving for love and acceptance. Just as Christ had come into this world, in the grubby reality of a manger in Bethlehem, so are they born as strangers; they too are Immanuels who long to find rooms somewhere among our schedules and our busyness this season. As we pack our days and spend our money and busy ourselves with so much, will we make room for ‘Immanuel’ as well as ‘Immanuels’ this season?
