Advent Day 21: God With Us
A selection from 25 Days of Emmanuel 2021, adapted 2024
God with us. Is there a more comforting promise? It’s always present tense. Jesus’ earthly life was long ago, but his life has always been and will always be.
My prayer is that we grab hold of, even more, the always of his presence and that his nearness is peaceful and empowering, assuring and challenging, trustworthy, and very good.
Advent is a celebration of the long-awaited Messiah coming to earth and a reminder that we are waiting for his return as the Bridegroom King. In this waiting, we have the invitation to live in the promise of his always-presence. I want to take full advantage of that promise. Don’t you? Every day is a celebration of God with us—what has been, what is, and what is to come.
The passage for today reminds us how the name Emmanuel was prophesied, fulfilled, and remains.
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:10-25)
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus.
Brave Sparrow 