Readings: Isaiah 7:10-15; Matthew 1:18-25
CALLING PEOPLE NAMES
What were you called as a child? Yes I know you were named Larry, Peter or Susan.
But you must have had other names. Or called other people names. Children can be horrible. Ok forget the mean names. What about the nicknames?
I was called various names through my school years. They weren’t all nice, but some were a good description of me.
This passage from Matthew is really important when it come to names – and what people are called.
The angel makes it clear – speaking to Joseph about Mary:
Mat 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
That in itself would be enough. What a powerful name. Meaning “God saves”.
Hallelujah – what a Saviour – is what we sing at Easter.
Jesus – Joshua – is about Jesus and his mission.
But Matthew goes on. He is writing to Jewish readers and wants them to understand how Jesus fits in to the bible they had – and the prophets’ predictions
So he says: Mat 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:Mat 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
Of course back in Isaiah’s time – they expected someone to come and help them.
But the prophecies often had multiple applications.
Jesus was the ultimate Immanuel.
This is Immanu – el in Hebrew.
El – is the word for God. Immanu – means with us.
You would have heard some of the other names for God in history.
Like Elohim.
El Shaddai.
El Elyon.
El Shammah.
Jesus – is what he would be named on his birth certificate. Immanu-el – is what they would call Jesus. A very powerful name. And “called” name. (You see it on forms today – the name you like to be called by)
GOD WITH US.
That description changes everything for us.
The loneliness
The sadness
The rejection we face
GOD WITH US.
The sickness
Suffering
Sadness.
GOD WITH US.
Fear
Frustration
Fighting around us
GOD WITH US.
Never to leave us or forsake us – is what he says.
The moment Jesus comes into that manger – in fact from his conception – GOD WITH US.
The world is never the same.
We went to two concerts last Christmas.
- The Bach Musica Concert in the City hall.
- And the Morning Melodies at the Bruce Mason.
In both concerts they were singing about IMMANUEL. God with us.
The City Hall concert included Puccini’s Mass – with the whole of the Nicene Creed sung.
These lines got my attention. This amazing bass-baritone was singing in Latin of course;
Passus et sepultus est; Et reurrexit tertia die.
Died and was buried; And rose again on the third day.
But this was the line that got me before those \wo. I thought – if only I could talk to him afterwards – and say, ‘do you know the one of whom you were singing?”
Because it says; ET HOMO FACTUS EST – AND BECAME A MAN.
All those people were hearing about Jesus -Immanuel – God with us.
And at the Mason theatre – we sang another Charles Wesley hymn:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel
Those hundreds of people were signing about Emmanuel.
I was praying – Lord – show them who you are in reality.
Now we know this already.
And we know Him as God with us.
Or at least we are discovering Him as God with us.
My prayer for you this Advent and Christmas season is that you discover fully what it means to know Him RIGHT IN THE CENTRE of your life – whether things are tough or easy sailing – may you know Him and his hope, peace, joy and love.
Amen.
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