Our children’s ministry leader, Michael Townsend has a message for us this week about Immanuel and Emmanuel as found in the Old and New Testament. Children and Youth meet in the Kid’s Club every Sunday after worship in the sanctuary. We also have a nursery for the little ones.

Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 NIV). Isaiah was a great prophet who was chosen by God to prophesy the coming of Christ. He also prophesied Christ’s death. As it is written in the Old Testament, the name of the Christ child is Immanuel. 

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23 KJV). When writing on the birth of Jesus, Matthew referred to the prophecy from Isaiah. He tells the readers that the Virgin Mary was to have a child and name him Jesus, which is who Isaiah was writing about, and called him Immanuel. 

Why the two different spellings? Immanuel was the Hebrew spelling, and so of course Isaiah used it. However, the New Testament was written in Greek, so Matthew used Emmanuel. Emmanuel and Immanuel mean the same thing, but in two different languages. It means “God with us”. So no matter where we go, God is with us.

After Moses had led the people out of Egypt and to the promised land, God told Moses to make a place for Him to be near His people. So, with strict instruction from God, Moses built, or had built, a tabernacle for God. A tabernacle is a dwelling place for God and was a holy place for Israel until the temple was built. God walked with them and was with them always (2 Samuel 7:6).

When God would move the Levites, who were in charge of setting up and breaking down the tabernacle, would carry all the materials and holy items to the next place God wanted them to go. It was His way of being close to them and being with them always.

John, the one whom Jesus loves, referred to God as the Word, and says that the “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He was stating that Jesus was the Son of God and that He was among the people. In a sense, Jesus was like their tabernacle or temple, going wherever the people went. Jesus himself even referred to his body as the temple (John 2:21).

Jesus is Lord of all, and He is always with us. He is Immanuel/Emmanuel, just as the prophet and disciple said. He is our tabernacle, going with us wherever we go. In fact, we should take this one step further and say that our body is a temple that Jesus dwells in, just as God dwelt in the tabernacle in the time of Moses. Therefore, wherever we, as the temple, go, Jesus is with us, leading us, protecting us, healing us, and saving us. Let us take this one more step. Paul writes that we are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). The people and children of God, followers of Christ, are one church and one body that moves with Christ in us, and He will never leave us, no matter where we go. Jesus the Christ is Emmanuel – God with us.

Last week, the little lambs got shipwrecked with Paul as he was heading to Rome to plead his case. Along the way, he shared the gospel with the people of the island of Malta, where he landed. This week, we will conclude our Paul and the Epistles lessons by learning about the last days of Paul and how God used Paul in the most amazing ways, even when you thought Paul would have no hope. Paul never stopped preaching for Christ and about Christ.

I look forward to worshiping our Lord and Savior with you tomorrow with songs of praise and dancing before our God, Emmanuel. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you tomorrow, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and love, and may He guide you, heal you, and comfort you when you need it.

God bless you

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)