December 21, 2025

 

Suggested Readings:
Isaiah 7:10-16

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

 

Isaiah writes of a time when a young woman will bear a child whose name will be Immanuel. Three times the psalmist pleads, “Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” Paul claims his apostolic authority is derived from the name of Jesus Christ.

 

Joseph is between a rock and a hard place. Betrothal was legally binding. It required divorce to break the covenant. The dilemma is that Mary is pregnant and Joseph is not the father. Thus, Mary could be accused of adultery and stoned. Joseph wants to protect Mary from that fate. He decides to quietly divorce her avoiding public scandal.

 

God, however, has other plans. Joseph has an angelic visitation in which he is assured that he is took take Mary as his wife. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Drawing on the passage from Isaiah Matthew declares that the child’s name is to be Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

The familiar carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” contains the phrase “the hopes and fears of all the years, are met in Thee tonight.” The birth of Jesus Christ fulfills the dreams, hopes, and expectations of humankind. The assurance found in the name Emmanuel gives us hope that God is present in this broken world. The plea of the psalmist, the affirmation of the apostle, the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph, confirm the reality of “God with us.”

This is one of the most powerful affirmations in the gospels. God is present amid fallen humanity to save us from our sins, the restoration the psalmist pleaded for, is possible because God chose to send the Son to save the world.

Santa Claus is a work of fiction. Jesus the Christ is the Word of God. Offering hope, forgiveness, and salvation to a fallen world.