Messiah, Emmanuel

Messiah, Emmanuel
Devotional
SPSC WOV 12/12/09


.WV Vision Statement
Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness. . .our prayer, for every heart, the will to make it so.
Statement of Faith
• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.


Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV)
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (KJV)
“There is no one in history that has been given more names or titles than Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, over 100 names and titles are given to Jesus. And whether He is called "Bright morning star, Wonderful Counselor, the Root of Jesse, the Alpha and the Omega, or the Lamb of God", each of these names and titles is rich with meaning. They all say something significant about who Jesus is.” (Reference: The Meaning of Immanuel, God with Us/Dr. Richard P. Bucher/ http://www.orlutheran.com/html/immanuel.html)
However, there is no name more significant than "Immanuel". This name, which Matthew refers to in his Gospel (Matthew 1:23), was first given to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14). And this very special Christmas name, as Matthew tells us, means "God with us." Jesus Christ is Immanuel, "God with us," (Reference: The Meaning of Immanuel, God with Us/Dr. Richard P. Bucher/ http://www.orlutheran.com/html/immanuel.html)
I had the privilege of attending a performance of Handel’s Messiah last Sunday at a church in Shoreline, Washington. I went with my friend, Lily, who sang with the Seattle Symphony Chorale as they performed that afternoon. Listening to Handel’s Messiah is always an awe inspiring experience. Handel’s greatest work and one of the most performed pieces of Christmas music proclaims that God is with us in the Recitativo, the seventh piece of the Sinfony in Part I when the above scripture verses are sung by an alto vocalist: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.” God with us! Handel then went on to write in the next aria and chorus from Isaiah 40:9, 60:1 about the good tidings to Jerusalem, “Behold your God! Arise shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Once again, God with us! Throughout this entire magnificent work, Handel’s fervent enthusiasm about this good news is announced. He wrote this work after a temporary misfortune which has been compared to a Lazarus-like triumphant rebirth where he no doubt experienced first hand how God was with him and had provided encouragement, provision and unparalleled inspiration and grace as he composed the Messiah. (Reference: Encore Arts Programs, Seattle Symphony, December 2009 pages 47-50)
The Messiah has two additional parts. Part II tells how despite mankind’s rejection of Jesus that He was still with them. It is entitled “The Accomplishment of Redemption by the Sacrifice of Jesus, Mankind’s Rejection of God’s Offer and Mankind’s Utter Defeat When Trying to Oppose the Power of the Almighty” “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3) No matter what man tried to do, He was still with them because as Handel states in the final chorus in Part II “Hallelujah; for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever, KING OF KING’S AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:6, 11:15, 19:16).
In Part III titled “A Hymn of Thanksgiving for the Final Overthrow of Death” the first aria quotes Job 19:25-26 “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and tho worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” “God with us is the good new of Christmas. So great was His love for His fallen creation, for you and for me that He left His glory to come here. And through His perfect life and death on the cross He broke down the wall of separation that our sin had built and reconciled us to Himself; as it is written ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.’ (2 Co. 5:19). Through Jesus Christ, Immanuel, our sins are forgiven and we have fellowship with our Creator again. (Reference: The Meaning of Immanuel, God with Us/Dr. Richard P. Bucher/ http://www.orlutheran.com/html/immanuel.html)
Last Tuesday I had a “God with us” stop. I stopped at the mailbox to get my mail leaving my car running. When I returned to my car, it had malfunctioned and locked all of the doors. There I was at 7:30 at night in 24 degree weather locked out from my purse, cell phone, house keys and all that connected me to my world. I felt alone and cold and tired and frustrated. Then “God with us, Emmanuel” came into my thinking and I began to pray and ask God what to do. My neighbors became His hands extended and a locksmith was called and I was able to regain entrance into my car and my world within a relatively short time. God had been with me and I was reminded of His presence in the midst of the Christmas time busyness. Once again, “God with us”.
Handel’s incredible Messiah has become the most beloved oratorio in the English-speaking world. I would encourage you to take the time this Christmas season to join in the worship of God through Handel’s masterpiece. The good news of “God with us” has been and will continue to be a welcomed proclamation. Immanuel. In this one name, everything humankind needs and the entire plan of God's salvation is found. How blessed we are that Jesus Christ became Immanuel, God with us.