Our Lord has many names in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. In the book of Isaiah (7:14), it had been prophesized that a virgin will become pregnant without any relationship with a man and this child will be called Immanuel. The name in Hebrew means, “God is with us.” This prophecy was fulfilled about 2000 years ago in David’s city of Bethlehem. Christ was known as Word or Logos (Greek) and the Word became a Man. Word was God before He became Man, and Immanuel is God-Man for our sake.

The Son of God, who was one with the Father and Holy Spirit, clothed Himself with human flesh and blood and became a true man without losing His divine nature “to be with us.” In other words, when God who is spirit became a Man or incarnated as a true Man, He is called Immanuel which means “God is with us”. The Son of God left Heaven and emptied the glory and riches of Heaven to present Himself as one amongst us with our limitations and weakness. Our Immanuel is Jesus Christ. God became a Man to pay a price for our sins, to redeem us from our fallen state and to make us God’s children and friends.

In Immanuel, we have our salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin, Satan and the fallen world. Through Jesus Christ, and only through Him alone, we are given the grace to be with God. In the person of Christ, God is with us (Immanuel) and we are with God! We do not become a part of God and God does not become a part of man. In Jesus, the true God became a true Man; He lived in the midst of us and clearly revealed His divine power and nature. His sinless human body was sacrificed on Calvary for mankind’s sins, curses and mistakes. He was buried and on the third day, resurrected with a new spiritual body that could eat, pass through the walls, walk with people, appear and disappear at His will, and then ascended to Heaven. He also promised that He would come back in great glory for the last judgment. Jesus proved to the disciples and friends that His spiritual body, the new body, has no human limitations. On the day of resurrection, every believer will be given the same type of body, which the Lord took or received at His resurrection.

When we celebrate Christmas, let us rejoice and be thankful for the true fact that the Son of God became the Son of Man to be our Immanuel. Thus, we are called to be with God through Him. In other words, “God is with us” and through Jesus Christ, we are with God in our Immanuel. Merry Christmas. Amen.