Immanuel – God with us!
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: (Matt 1:23-24)
You are warmly welcome to Kakumba Chapel!
On this last Sunday in Advent season, let us recall the meaning of this season: Waiting in expectation for the Coming of the Saviour. A miniature simile would be that of relatives in the village waiting for their Uncle from Kampala to come for Christmas; of course they know he will come with physical blessings and they can get relief from some of their year-old challenges. No wonder shopping is at its peak, roads are jammed up and bus fares have sky-rocketed because of such movements. Visitations are the norm of this season, and real blessings from such visitations are rightly expected.
The name Immanuel speaks of the divine visitation – God with us; not in the sense of his omnipresent nature by His Spirit, but physically dwelling among us in the way Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived in Nazareth, walked all over Palestine preaching, and was crucified in Jerusalem. This reminds me of the times God seemingly visited Moses and they conversed; in His omnipresent nature He was with the Israelites and everywhere, but there were sit-down sessions with Moses for closer fellowship and instructions. One day Moses invited the elders to one such meeting; when they heard God’s footsteps, it was too much for them and they decided to tell Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Exod 20:19). They did not like the visit! God descended in fire and His footsteps were heard as thunder and lightning and His voice was like the loudest trumpet and He was surrounded with thick smoke – even the mountain trembled violently!
Scandals of protocol are not uncommon; titles get mixed up (especially Bishops’ titles), and it can be embarrassing for the dignitary who messes up the protocol at an official function. When the Lord Jesus Christ came as Immanuel, thank God he did not tear apart mountains and ride on fiery chariots. He came as a humble child. While that did not make him less of ‘God with us’, some people could not comprehend a King with no fanfare, and they ended up messing up the protocol; they did not recognize and give him due worship. The Lord calls us to receive our King and enthrone Him in our hearts. Let us follow the obedience example of Joseph: he listened from God and ‘did as the angel of the Lord commanded him’.
God bless you.