What’s in a Name?

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

Sometimes we ask, “What’s in a name?” By this we mean that names are often arbitrary. Our experience is the same whether a thing is called this or that. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, wouldn’t it? But what if a name wasn’t arbitrary? In the Christmas story we find a name which adds a layer of sweetness to an already delightful gospel — like icing on a perfectly baked cake.

Many of us are familiar with the meaning of the name Jesus: God saves (Matt. 1:21). That should be enough, right? God saves His people from their sins! That alone is a gift worth cherishing. But there’s another name attributed to Jesus in Isaiah’s prophecy: Immanuel, which means God with us (Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:23). And this name — Immanuel — is the icing of the Christmas story. You see, Christmas is not just about Jesus coming to forgive our sins; it’s about Jesus coming so that we might have the presence of God with us. What sweetness, indeed!

Immanuel is God’s answer to the Fall. Do you remember in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God expelled them from the Garden — from His presence? No longer can mankind reside in the unmediated presence of God. Of course, God is still everywhere (Psa. 139:7-10), but He is no longer with us in the same relational way He was with Adam and Eve before the Fall. Now there would be courtyards, curtains, and ceremonies to separate people from God. But in Immanuel God is restoring His people to a relationship not known since Adam and Eve left Eden in the rearview mirror.

But Immanuel is not just about Christmastime or Jesus’ earthly ministry. It’s a promise that runs throughout time. Certainly Immanuel is linked with Christ’s birth (Matt. 1:23), but the idea of God with us is also seen in Matthew 18, where Jesus promises to be with any two or three Christians who are gathered in His name. This is a promise for the church, today. As we gather for worship, Jesus is with us. In other words, each Lord’s Day is a “little Christmas!” We also see this language in Matthew 28:20, where Jesus says to His disciples “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So the promise of Immanuel was not only for Jesus’ earthly ministry; it is for the whole of our Christian lives. What a gift!

What’s in a name, you ask? The name Immanuel means that God has not only forgiven our sins, but has given to us the greatest gift — His own presence to be with us, both now and forevermore! Let’s celebrate Immanuel this Christmas.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Associate Pastor