Emmanuel means "God is with us." Who is your Emmanuel? Who is your "God is with us," the one you were promised, the one you have been waiting for?
For the ancient prophet Isaiah, he was a boy soon to be born who would guide the people of Judah back to peace and harmony with God. He would bring hope for victory and greatness in the tribe. He would be a gift from God to his chosen people.
Who is your Emmanuel, your "God is with us"?
For Christians, he is Jesus of Nazareth. The baby in the Christmas story who grew to be a remarkable teacher among the Jewish people; whose ideas about love, forgiveness, and justice changed the world forever.
Who is your Emmanuel, your "God is with us"?
Perhaps your Emmanuel is a political leader, standing for the rights of the oppressed—a Martin Luther King, a Gandhi, a Mother Jones. Perhaps in their work with people you feel God is with us.
Who is your Emmanuel, your "God is with us"?
Perhaps your Emmanuel is an artist, bringing transcendence to the human spirit and lifting our hopes and dreams into the light—a J.S. Bach, a Martha Graham, a William Shakespeare. Perhaps in the presence of great beauty and creativity you feel God is with us.
Who is your Emmanuel, your "God is with us"?
Perhaps it is a child. Created from our bodies, the child who is filled with the potential to do every great thing. Your promise from God that the world has hope for justice and beauty. For in the presence of a child we too can feel that God is with us all.