Advent Day 23: Immanuel | God with Us

Birth of Christ, Luke Frontispiece, Donald Jackson © 2002 . The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, © 1993, 1989
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.

“Emmanuel” performed by Nathaniel Bassey featuring Grace Omosebi and Ifiok Ezenwa, composed by Nathaniel Bassey.

Poetry:

“Wer siens Lebens viele Widersinne”
by Rainer Maria Rilke (trans. by Anita Burrows and Joanna Macy)

She who reconciles the ill-matched threads
of her life, and weaves them gratefully
into a single cloth —
it’s she who drives the loudmouths from the hall
and clears it for a different celebration

where the one guest is you.
In the softness of evening
it’s you she receives.

You are the partner of her loneliness,
the unspeaking centre of her monologues.
With each disclosure you encompass more
and she stretches beyond what limits her,
to hold you.

“God with Us”

I was struck by the flurry of activity in Donald Jackson’s work, Birth of Christ, with angels’ wings fluttering madly in the air while curious folk peer into the manger next to Mary to view the newborn child Jesus. In the foreground, a donkey and a ram seem to face off with a charging ox that looks like a refugee from a neolithic cave drawing. The first two animals appear to be at peace. The ox seems ready for a fight.

The word Immanuel, “God with us,” can truly be a comfort to us during the Advent season. We think of Jesus, “. . .the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Hebrews 1:3) and we marvel that God has made himself known in the one for whom we wait. And we prefer to wait in peace, like the restful farm animals in Donald Jackson’s art.

The reference to “Immanuel” in Matthew comes from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. And while the promise truly gives the people hope for their future, the context into which Isaiah spoke was one of uncertainty and conflict. It was a time when many people were suffering loss and displacement as if they had been gored by a wild ox. Yes, there was the conviction of “God with us,” but the reality probably caused some to wonder if God had abandoned his people.

It is not unusual for people in our time to wonder where God might be when times are difficult. Is God only with us when the events of our lives are going as planned? Does suffering mean that God might be with us somewhere down the line, but for now He is nowhere to be found? Why does God seem to go silent when we’re hurting?

Silence, however, does not equate to absence.

Resting in silence before God in difficult times is not a practice that comes easily for many people (including this writer). Resolution seems preferable to resting before God in a posture of trust. But if our gospel narratives about the coming of Jesus tell us anything, it’s that waiting when God seems to be silent is a crucial aspect of our shared calling as followers of Jesus. Simeon and Anna, like many in Israel over the years, had been waiting for God’s redemption to come, and now saw it being fulfilled in the child Jesus. Mary saw all that was unfolding around her and rested, pondering it all in her heart (Luke 2:19).

The Advent season can be a mixed bag. For some, it’s a time of joy and celebration. For others it’s a time that seems to accentuate suffering and regrets and disillusionment. But for all, it is a time to be drawn into the story in which we live, the story of God reconciling the world to himself in and through Jesus. And we continue to live in God’s story, even when times are rough and as we wait for comfort to come to us.

In the waiting, God might be silent, but He is not absent. God is with us.

Prayer
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely, If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently, and if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words; give me the Spirit of Jesus.
Amen.
(from Celtic Daily Prayer, Book Two, p. 1039)

Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Pastor and Author

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.