Emmanuel

Emmanuel: God with us.

I’ve been familiar with this name of Jesus for years. I led my church in worship with a song with the word in it, and sang several others as a member of the congregation. I once went to a church called “Emmanuel.” I’ve even thought about what it means. I’m no stranger to the term.

Right in time for Christmas, I had a perspective change. A few nights ago, I was listening to “The Truth is Who You Are” by Tenth Avenue North when they referred to Jesus as Emmanuel. I have also heard this song before. Dozens and dozens of times. But I realized something.

All the times I heard and thought about it, I was wrong. I had always thought that it was cute that Jesus had a special name for his thirty-three years on Earth – the time when God was really with us. I didn’t mean to, but in my mind, I had left “Emmanuel” in the tomb even after Jesus left it. But as I heard Mike Donehey’s beautiful voice singing, “Emmanuel, God with us,” the truth sucker punched me right in the gut.

Jesus is still Emmanuel. Emmanuel didn’t stay in the tomb.

God is still with us.

God is with me. God is in me.

Maybe I was the last one to get the memo, but I was greatly moved by this. Lately, my life has been a little crazy. I wouldn’t say that I’m currently facing a lot of unknowns, but rather one big unknown that impacts several areas of my life. I guess it’s been pretty easy for me to feel like God is just a big man in the sky and that Jesus is just chilling up there with him eating popcorn, watching the movie of my life as so many things seem to be falling apart. That’s just my feelings. And in case you didn’t know, feelings are not truth. It’s taken me a long time to understand this. I sway back and forth. My response to a given situation depends on a number of things: whatever chemicals decide to flow from my brain, what passage(s) of scripture I’ve read lately, how much I like my outfit, how many emotional poems I’ve read, the weather (the rainier/cloudier, the happier), how long it's been since I’ve had a good-quality conversation, and how much chocolate I’ve eaten recently. As you can tell, I can vary quite a bit from day to day. That being said, I have found it useful to stop thinking about how I feel, and start thinking about what I know. At this point in my life, the solid truth that I need to know the most is that Jesus is not munching on popcorn while watching my problems unfold. He’s Emmanuel.

My Emmanuel.

Watching me.

Guiding me.

Caring for me.

Looking out for me.

Paving my way.

Preparing my heart.

Correcting me.

Providing for me.

Protecting me.

Teaching me.

Encouraging me.

Blessing me.

Loving me.

Just as sure as He was with us on the first Christmas, He is with me today.