Blog – 12-9-15 Emmanuel – God With Us
For the month of December, I am focusing on the lyrics to the chorus of the title track of my new CD, “King of Kings.” Before we get into that, however, I have some really cool news to share with you about the song. We just received word yesterday that the single “King of Kings” just reached No. 15 on the EIICMA Top 20 Chart, a European and International radio chart for independent artists. Pretty cool! This is the first time I’ve charted, so I’m super excited. Hopefully it keeps climbing to No. 1!
The lyrics to the chorus again are:
King of Kings, Emmanuel Holy One of Israel Prince of Peace, the Blessed Lamb Born to wash away all the sins of man Let us join the angels as they sing Hallelujah, hallelujah, King of Kings
This week as we focus on the second word “Emmanuel,” which means God with us, I want to look at Matthew 1:23 which tells of the birth of Jesus:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”).
God chose to send His one and only son to be born and raised among us, with common, everyday people. The Jews expected their long-awaited Messiah to come as a mighty warrior, but God does something completely unexpected by sending him to a dusty manger in a small, little town. Nothing spectacular, and certainly nothing deserving of the King of Kings!
Yet in that simplicity is something very profound…God chose to be with us. He chose to tear down the legalism and the laws that separated us. He chose to be right there beside us to lead us through the complex issues we face in our everyday lives. He chose to be with us as we stand at our kitchen sink cleaning up dinner after a long, stressful day. He chose to hang on a cross to give us the salvation and grace that none of us deserves.
Because of that choice and the incredible sacrifice on the cross, we can have peace knowing He’s right there holding our hand as we stare at a stack of bills we have no idea how we’re going to pay. We can find hope knowing He’s holding our heart when we stand at the grave of a loved one. We can be strengthened as He whispers words of encouragement as we listen to our kids fighting in the back seat of the car. Because of that first Christmas, we have him right here with us in our everyday lives.
Christmas is so much more than the gifts we buy and the parties we attend. It’s the night when God chose to come to us and love us in the middle of our mess. It’s the night He chose to leave His heavenly throne and bring His love down to earth in the flesh.
Even though we remain steeped in our humanity and our sinful nature, God comes to live and dwell among us when we simply ask Him into our hearts. When we confess our sins and profess our faith, Emmanuel is with us! God’s love lives and dwells right here in our hearts! I don’t know about you, but that truth makes me want to jump up and down and join the angels as they sing, Hallelujah, King of Kings!
Hugs and love,
~Jill
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