“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”Isaiah 7:14

It’s that magical time of year again. Family and friends gather around to admire the twinkling lights that adorn the freshly cut Christmas tree. The temperature drops and the days get shorter. We bundle up to set out for the local shopping mall. We aim to find the perfect gift. We undoubtedly spend countless hours and dollars during the Christmas season. All of this contributes to a joyous time, but it excludes the hefty expenses. Are we focusing our energy on the right things this holiday season?

Have you ever stopped to question why we celebrate Christmas? Where did it originate? Is it truly a pagan festival that Christians unknowingly participate in each year? In the coming days, we will explore these questions and more together.

Before we understand the origin of Christmas, we must first realize WHOM we celebrate on Christmas. This year, you will see signs saying, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”. But who is Jesus? Roughly 700 years before the birth of Jesus Isaiah prophesied about a child to be born of a virgin. Is Jesus the fulfillment of that prophecy, and hundreds of others from the Old Testament? Is Jesus who He says He is? Or was He just a good moral teacher? We can’t know how to celebrate if we don’t know whom to celebrate.

“He is not a remote or distant God, but a God who is ‘with us.’”

IMMANUEL

Immanuel is a Hebrew word meaning “God with us.” It is a fitting name for the promised son in Isaiah’s day. It is also fitting for Jesus, the One prophesied about in Isaiah. Humanity sinned, and this created a debt. This debt had to be paid to free humanity from living and dying in eternal separation from God. To pay this debt, God sent his Son Jesus to the earth. He was born in desperately poor conditions and lived a perfect life. He died an undeserving death. He rose again so that humans may one day be united with God in heaven.

When Isaiah wrote about a child named Immanuel, he was referring to Jesus. Jesus was “God with us” to the people he encountered while he was on earth. God the Son willingly laid aside his position in heaven. He descended to the earth, taking on human form to save his sinful image-bearers (Php 2:5 – 11). God continues to be Immanuel, “God with us.” This happens through the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit. The Spirit fills believers, comforts them in a fallen world, and empowers them to live holy lives.

Nothing is more grievous to God than distrust, but the unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of no effect; the Lord himself shall give a sign.