Matthew 1:23

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us.”)

We love to sing O Come, O Come, Immanuel as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We treasure the meaning of the name Immanuel — God with us — throughout Advent, looking forward to that most special day when we remember our Savior leaving his place in heaven to be born on earth. But Christmas comes and Christmas passes, we pack away the lights and decorations, we don’t really think about Immanuel until next year when we again, pull out the ornaments, sing the songs…

Jesus never changes. He doesn’t leave when the festivities are over. If Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, during Advent, Jesus is Emmanuel all year! Every second of every day, Jesus is God with us. He is God with us during our times of joy. He remains God with us when our hearts are broken. He is God with us, thinking of us and loving us even when we’ve walked away from his will, even when we’re too busy to think of him at all.

It is so right — and so wonderful — to rejoice in our Savior’s birth as Immanuel, the baby we celebrate at Christmas . After all, Jesus came to earth to walk among us, to redeem us, to make us his own. This year, when we’re decking the halls, and afterwards when we pack the Christmas “stuff” away, let’s remember that Jesus isn’t going anywhere, and he certainly isn’t going away! His presence is and will always be with us. Let’s be grateful for Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, this Christmas and every day.

Prayer

Jesus, it humbles us and amazes us that you came as a human baby to be one of us, to save us and to walk beside us forever. Please help us to remember that you, Immanuel, stay beside us all our lives, as close to us as the air we breathe, waiting for us to call out to you in good times and bad. Thank you for the gift of yourself, the most precious gift we will ever receive. Thank you, Jesus-Immanuel.

Valerie Anselm