Immanuel: God With Us

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be with God, or more truly, for God to be with me. It's an interesting thought. I usually am thinking about what God can do for me, or what I can do for God, or how I can improve my relationship with God, or how I can be a "better follower of Jesus."

When Jesus came to earth, He didn't consider equality with God his "right." He instead gave up His "right" to Heaven, to perfect love, to no problems and no sickness and no silly humans and made himself nothing for the sake of the world. Although Jesus probably has thousands of names in Heaven, the Angel only told Mary about two of them: Jesus and Immanuel. His name, Jesus, tells us what He was would do -- save the world from their sins. But Immanuel answered an even more complicated question. Immanuel told us who He would be -- God with us. 

Most of you probably can tell that our life right now is a little crazy. My husband, TJ, is in seminary, working to finish his Master's of Divinity in preaching. He is working at our church, The Well, as a youth pastor. I am a full-time teacher, Student Council sponsor, and a youth leader for middle school and high school. We adopted Kendrick, our first child, a 10-year-old, in August. We took in our second foster placement in October and had him for about a month. We live in Denton but do most of our life in Argyle. Kendrick plays basketball and piano. We are a part of a small group, TJ leads a college Bible study, and we are lucky if we get to make two good meals at home each week.

It's safe to say that in this season (maybe it's every season, but especially this one), we trust in Jesus as the Savior of the world, and the Savior of us. We believe in what He has done for us and what He continues to do for us. Honestly, this is not a difficult one to believe in the moment of, I forgot Kendrick's basketball stuff or I flipped on a student when I shouldn't have or I didn't do everything I could have done to reach that kid. I mean, the crazy, chaos, and mistakes of life brings me to my knees and reminds me every day that I need a Savior to save me from the mess of it all.

But Immanuel? Immanuel is a different story. Mary has an interesting story because in the middle of her crazy, God didn't just save her; he was literally with her, inside her -- a baby. God came in the middle of her normal, ordinary, everyday life and forced her to slow down, to feel him kick, to prepare to welcome a baby into the world. I've never been pregnant or given birth, but I know many friends have had babies and pregnancy can almost be a forced slow-down for some people. They suddenly realize: Oh, I can't run very fast or lift too much or stand on my feet for too long. I have to rest. I wonder if Jesus, in Mary's belly, nudged her to a different kind of rest - a rest of knowing that He would save, yes, but also that he was with her. That he would never leave her or abandon her. That he gave up everything to be with her - to be with the world.

In the middle of a chaotic week, sure, I can remember Jesus' name, the Savior. I call on Him to get me out of things, to push me to do better and be kinder and love harder.

But do I remember Jesus' other name - Immanuel? Do I remember that God wasn't just with Mary and with His disciples, that He gave up honor and glory and praise to be with me - Immanuel?

It's impossible for Jesus' names to be mutually exclusive. He isn't Jesus without Immanuel, or Immanuel without Jesus, but how often do we think of Him as the Savior of the World without mentioning that He is also God With Us?

I've always been confused about my perceived dichotomy in the Bible about serving others and loving others versus resting and abiding in Jesus. I've realized that when Jesus tells us to take a "real rest" (in the Message version of Matthew 11:28), He's not telling us to slack off and stop "laying down our lives for our friends" and "taking up our cross," and "losing our life so that we can find it." Instead, He's saying that the only true way we can lay down our lives and take up our cross and lose our life is by being with Him. We were never meant to do it alone.

That's why He came: to be Jesus, the Savior, and Immanuel, the God-with-us.

He never left. But in my over-busy, extra-ordinary, every-day life, I miss Him because I'm often thinking about what I can do for Him without realizing that I can't do anything for Him until I abide in Him.

This Christmas season, I want to push to see God and let Him be with me. I want to find those "unforced rhythms of Grace." I want to be with God just for the sake of being with him. No reason. No motive. Just His presence. Immanuel.