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Summary:

We were made for Relationship. Relationship with God and with one another. The Bible's big story is the restoration of relationship, of life together, a dramatic movement from intimacy to hiding to God's consistent pursuit. His pursuit of his people out from Slavery, in the cloud and pillar of fire, in the tabernacle and the Temple. God keeps coming down. But the greatest pursuit is his coming in the flesh, his incarnation in Jesus. We finally come to the last O Antiphon. O come, o come, Emmanuel, God with us!

Excerpt:

We've finally come to Oh, come O Come Emmanuel, which is in the the historic poem is the final stanza of these great Oh antifade. So come O Come Emmanuel. Of course we know it as the first one. But as I've suggested to you through this short series, actually, this poem is leading us with the story of Israel through the Old Testament, in this long sitting, longing with Israel, for God to come and to be among us as the Messiah, the Emmanuel.

What I've been trying to present to you is that this great poem from long ago is a really good way of sitting in the longing for Jesus, but it's also actually a very good way of understanding what is it that we get in the gift of Christ? What do we celebrate at Christmas stanza highlights for us an image with the Bible paints of who the Messiah would be. Wisdom. The next one is add on I often the idea of Lord of Might, the wisdom creates and recreates the Lord of my saves, right? The story of Moses brings his people bringing the people out from Egypt and slavery and bringing them to God at Mount Sinai, he saves and he instructs his people how to live as free people. We consider the son of David who's the perfect ruler who will rule forever and his kingdom will have no end. We considered the day spring. The word is oriens. On Christmas Eve that brings light to darkness, this light that shines and darkness that orients us to our hope and our redemption in the midst of a disoriented world. Last Christmas, last Sunday on Christmas, we consider the desire of the nations or actually it's the Rex Gentium, the king of the nations. He's not just gonna bring Shalom and his justice to a small sliver of the world but he's coming for all of it. For you young and old and rich and poor and heaven and earth actually what we see in the narratives there of the of Christ's birth, he's coming for all of it. This is what we get in Jesus. This is the gift of Christ for the world the great Christmas gift And it's also our heart's desire.

So who do you want to be this year? What do you want to become? Who are you going to spend your time with? Will you be with the Lord this year? In his word, with his body, the church at his table. God comes and comes Uggams again and again in the Scriptures by His grace and His kindness. But the question for us again and again and again is will you receive him? Will you be with him? It's gonna end with that question, will you be with him? Lord, God with us, Emmanuel. Or Jesus, we think even of the birth narratives where some when God came among us, as Emmanuel, journeyed far to be present with him, the wise men, men from the East, come from some came from closer by the shepherds out in their fields keeping watch over their flocks. Some wanted to kill Jesus from the very beginning. Herod, not another king coming close, someone who tells us to be in the world in a certain way. And again, and again, as we read the gospels, those two things are before us. People flocking to flocking to you, longing to hear your your teaching, longing to be touched by you and healed and made new by you. And others shouting crucify him and plotting your death. And all throughout history. This has been the great question. We come to him. Will you be with him? I pray for us here in this room right now. those watching online are listening. That have all of the resolutions that we have this new year hopes for a new being in the world. A new presents a new us that we will find a greatest desire is to be with you. As we are with you, you will shape us into who we are made to be people who dwell and walk with God. People who have been reconciled by the blood of Jesus and who were once far off but had been brought near. People who were once slaves but now our children who can cry out Abba, Daddy, Father this year may we be with you and know the joy and delight of your presence. In Jesus name, our great Emanuel. Amen

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