Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

Immanuel, God with us. It's a name that is given by God in the prophecy of Isaiah to a newborn son as a sign to King Ahaz of God's presence and power to deliver his people. King Ahaz refuses the sign, but God does not forget his promise. And in Matthew's account of Jesus' birth we're told that this son, born to the virgin Mary, is indeed the fulfillment of that promise as God with us. Those three words, encompassed in that one name, hold a mountain of truth in them that explains the essence of Christmas. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Such news was difficult for Joseph, Mary's fiance, to grasp, but he believed God's promise and embraced God's plan. Join us this Sunday as we consider the profound and hope-filled implications of the incarnation: that Jesus truly is God with us.