Re-Center Around God
Isaiah 7:10-17
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f] 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”
Footnotes:
[c] Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
[d] Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
[e] Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
[f] Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
Pondering Point
Somewhat like an ultrasound, we get a pre-birth glimpse of the baby Jesus in this prophetic picture. He will come from a virgin and will be called “Immanuel” because He is God coming to be with us. He came to be a part of the human family so that we could become part of the God family.
On this Christmas Eve, we take a different approach to the idea of review, repent, and return, we are re-centering around Jesus as God today – God in the flesh .
Review
As pointed out by Matthew in his Gospel (1:23), Jesus is Immanuel, the one prophesied by Isaiah, and translated as God-with-us.
Matthew 1:23
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).
Repent if necessary
Repent means to have a change of heart or mind; Jesus came to change hearts of people and turn them to God.
Return as necessary
Give Jesus access to your heart. Don’t worry about how; just offer it to Him in prayer. Jesus’ coming to men enables us to return to God, an act of faith enabled by God’s act of grace to us and in us.
Come celebrate the birth of Jesus, the presence of God among us,
the hope of God within us and the joy of Christmas between us!
Today at Hope Lutheran Church:
7:00pm (carol singing from 6:30 -7:00)
11:00 pm (carol singing from 10:30 -11:00)
No Christmas day worship
Micro-Meditation Scripture
Psalm 127:3
3 Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
Micro-Meditation
Teaching or Command of God
Deuteronomy 7:12-13a
If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers.
Deuteronomy 28:11
The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity— in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
Micro-Meditation
Pondering Point
Houses are built not just with physical materials like wood, steel, and brick, but with people of all ages and sizes. See children as great building materials from God and handle them fittingly.