“And His Name Shall Be
called: Immanuel”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. During the Advent and Christmas seasons this year we are focusing on the real
“reason for the season” by meditating on the meanings of some of the hundreds of
names and titles given in Scripture to the Babe of Bethlehem, whose birth we are
celebrating: “And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The
Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” “This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord
Our Righteousness.” “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save
his people from their sins.” “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us.” We continue this morning with perhaps the most familiar
Old Testament prophecy of the Savior’s birth, proclaimed by Isaiah in today’s
Old Testament Reading: “The Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the
Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” And His Name Shall Be Called: Immanuel. “All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All
the lonely people, where do they all belong?” Have you ever felt alone, really alone? Deserted,
abandoned, no one to turn to? No cares, no one will help?
Of all the human emotions, none is more painful than loneliness.
Especially when you fear that God himself is no longer there, even he has
left you all alone. In Isaiah’s time the people of Israel thought that God had deserted them.
They were surrounded by their enemies, they feared their nation was about
to be overwhelmed. In the midst of this bad situation, God
sent the prophet Isaiah to tell King Ahaz: “Be calm, be not afraid.
Do not lose heart. Stand firm in your faith.” Are you too in a bad situation like the people of Israel?
Do you also feel surrounded by forces that you fear will overwhelm you?
Financial problems? Problems at work?
Problems at school? Problems within you family?
Problems within your marriage? Problems with alcohol
or drugs? Problems with peer pressure?
Problems with your faith? Problems with your church?
Or perhaps one or two or more of these and other problems all put
together? In the midst of your bad situation God says to you:
“Be calm, be not afraid. Do not lose heart.
Stand firm in your faith.” Isaiah told King Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the
deepest depths or in the highest heavens.” But King Ahaz
refused to trust in God; he refused to believe that God would help; he refused
to ask for a sign of the Lord’s love and faithfulness. Then Isaiah said, “The Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the Virgin
shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God-with-us.” God did not desert
his people of old; God was with them. He rescued them from
their enemies, the forces that threatened to overwhelm them.
And God will not desert you; God is with you, too. He will
rescue you from the forces that threaten to overwhelm you. God gave to his people of old a marvelous promise of a miracle, a sign of his
love and faithfulness: “The Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” The people of
the Old Testament looked forward in faith to the coming of Jesus Christ, the
promised Messiah, trusting in him as their Savior. Over 700
years after Isaiah’s prophecy, the promise of the Lord was fulfilled.
Just as Isaiah foretold it, the Savior of the world was born, the Son of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. God came down to earth and took human flesh. Jesus Christ
is God and man in one person, Immanuel, God-with-us. Made
like us in every way except without sin. The sinless Son of
God took your sins upon himself, suffering and dying in your place, shedding his
precious blood as a sacrifice for your guilt, earning you full forgiveness. Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Immanuel, God with us, God with you.
“Be calm, be not afraid. Do not lose heart.
Stand firm in your faith.” When you feel surrounded by forces that threaten to overwhelm you, trust in
Jesus. He loves you, he forgives you, he will help you in all
your needs. When you feel surrounded by forces that threaten
to overwhelm you, remember the sign the Lord himself has given you, the sign of
his love and faithfulness, the sign of his miraculous power, the sign that his
promises come true and his word never fails. Behold, the
Virgin did conceive and bore a Son, Immanuel, God-with-us. Jesus promises, “Lo, I am with you always.” God is with
you. As the Lord declares in Isaiah, “Fear not, I am with
you; be not dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you, I
will help you, I will hold you up with my mighty hand.” You are not alone. God is with you. And
your brothers and sisters in God’s family of faith are with you, to help you.
Whatever it is that you face, you do not face it alone.
“Be calm, be not afraid. Do not lose heart.
Stand firm in your faith.” There’s a song that puts it this way: “I’ll walk with God, I’ll take his
hand. I’ll talk with God, he’ll understand.
I’ll pray to him, each day to him, and I’ll never walk alone for I walk
with God.” “The Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel,
God-with-us, God with you. And His Name Shall Be Called: Immanuel. Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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