Scripture reading: Please read Matthew 1:18-25.
Matthew’s account of the birth of Christ focuses on the miracle of our Savior’s birth and the crucial role of Joseph in this event. While Joseph planned to divorce a pregnant Mary, an angel appeared to him in a dream and convinced him otherwise.
Praise God for divine interventions and for the way the Holy Spirit gives us perspective beyond our limited perceptions. Matthew quotes that stirring familiar words of prophecy and hope:
“Watch for this-a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for God is with us.”)
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, Trans. By Eugene Peterson, Zondervan, Grand Rapids.2002)
What a powerful life-changing revelation and announcement for Joseph and Mary!
What so important about a name anyway? The meaning of a name is fascinating to me, I like reading the meaning behind our birth names. The Hebrew parent chose a name for it s meaning in relation to God-to acknowledge God s gift and to express a Godly destiny for the child.
The name Emmanuel means God with us. One commentator suggests that it echoes that time long ago when the Ark of the Covenant was the center of the huddled tents of Israel by night and the vanguard of the march by day. Through the wondrous miracle of Christ s birth, god has made common cause with us to share our sorrows and joys, to carry our burdens and to help us heal our broken lives. God with us, Emmanuel is a phrase to carry with us this season and always.
By the way, the name Judy means praise. What is the meaning of your name?
In Christ’s Service,
Rev. Judy A. Stanley