- God With Us . . . Immanuel

It's Christmas, and so I've been thinking about Jesus, the term "Immanuel", and its true meaning. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the name "Immanuel":

"Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (Hebrew עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: אֵל (’El, meaning 'God') and עִמָּנוּ (ʻImmānū, meaning 'with us'); Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl)." *

A fact I don't think most of us can fully grasp is just how deeply God longs for relationship with us, because the majority of us have this equation in our heads:  God = Religion. 

How tragic to relegate God to a man-made structure, full of rules and regulations, many of which are lifeless, meaningless and useless.

When you think about it, we humans are wired with equal need for structure and for creativity. We can witness the human need for structure in that we are creatures of habit; we fall into repetitive modes of behavior fairly easily; we crave predictability (to a certain degree), and we can feel insecure and threatened in its absence.

On the other hand, when there is too much structure and predictability, the human spirit grows restless and agitated....feelings of claustrophobia and boredom set in and we begin to feel stifled, suffocated.

We need to experience that sense of wonder and unpredictability in order to enjoy the freedom and wildness of life that inspires and enthralls us.

From my perspective, organized religion tends to stifle, to deaden the human spirit. Rules tend to rise to the surface while spontaneity and thinking for oneself is discouraged or even forbidden.

In religion, God is often seen as a punitive, disapproving Being Who does not celebrate life nor its joys and pleasures.

Of course, the other side is equally dangerous. Declaring there is no God, or believing that God is detached and aloof from the human race, people can end up living their lives with a diminished commitment to morals and principles.

I wish there was proof in our society that this was not true, but from what I can see, the more secular our nation becomes (I am talking about Canada in particular here), the more I see moral decay setting in and values diminishing.

I don't believe there are many of us today who were alive in the 1960s who can say that our nation is in a better place morally today in comparison with 50 years ago.

So back to Immanuel - God With Us....if there is a God, Who is He and what does He want from us?

I believe He wants relationship with us. I believe He wants to walk with us; to commune with us. I believe He wants to show us the wonder and awe of life, and of Himself, and impart His truths to us and His ways of thinking, feeling and acting.

Does God Himself approve of religion? Read these verses from the Jewish Bible - the "Old Testament" for Christians (quoted from a modernized version)....God is addressing their ritual of fasting / depriving themselves of food in order to fulfill religious requirements:

"They're busy, busy, busy at worship,

And love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—

law-abiding, God-honoring.

They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'

And love having me on their side.
But they also complain,

'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

"Well, here's why:

"The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
Won't get your prayers off the ground.

Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:
A day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
And parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
A fast day that I, God, would like?

This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
To break the chains of injustice,

Get rid of exploitation in the workplace,

Free the oppressed, cancel debts.

What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
Sharing your food with the hungry,
Inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
Putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
Being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on,
And your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help

And I'll say, 'Here I am.'"

- Isaiah 58:2-8

Yep, it's all about relationship - with God, with our fellow man, and yes, even with ourselves. 

There were only a few times recorded in Scripture where Jesus became seriously angry  during his brief stay (33 years) here on earth, and that anger was generally leveled at the religious leaders for their hypocrisies.

So this Season, my special request to all of you is that you would consider the awesome wonder and privilege of entering into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the One Who created us!

Lay aside any meaningless rituals and the hurts from organizations that have misrepresented God to you.

Dare to forget for a moment the people who have behaved badly in the name of religion, and  the shiesters who have tried to sell religion, and simply focus on HIM - Immanuel - God With Us.

He came to earth for a reason: "God in a Bod", I used to tell the teens when I worked as a pastoral animator in high schools. He came simply to exemplify the heart of God the Father to us - to heal, to deliver, to set free from our burdens.

He came to earth to reconcile: to clear up the thousand-and-one misunderstandings between us and Diety....so that we could enter back into relationship with Him and find our true purpose, in His arms.

He came to earth to redeem: to take the negative, sinful parts of our personality that can hinder and destroy our relationships with others, and make us whole again, in the image of God.

He came for relationship....with us! Immanuel!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

May there be peace on earth, and much peace in your hearts,

Much love from Wendy  xoxoxo

Bald is beautiful!  :)

GLORIA   Music: Michael W. Smith
 
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the pains
And the mountains in reply
Echo back their joyous strains
Gloria O Gloria in excelsis Deo

Come to Bethlehem and see
(Gloria O sing Gloria)
Him whose birth the angels sing
(Gloria O sing Gloria)
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord the newborn King

Gloria O Gloria in excelsis Deo

Angels we have heard on high
(Gloria O sing Gloria)
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
(Gloria O sing Gloria)
Jesus Lord of heav'n and earth
With us sing our Savior's birth

Gloria O Gloria in excelsis Deo

Alleluia!

* Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel