The contemplation of the stars was the noblest of all sciences for the ancients. The result of their study of the night sky was to see clusters of stars as images, and then tell a story about that animal or person as the constellation moved across the night sky. For us, the contemplation of the Bible is a noble task. Contemplating the people and stories that have come down to us from our spiritual ancestors is gratifying as they chart the work of God across the ages.
This Advent at Saint Luke, we the gazers of 2022, contemplate the names used in the Bible for Jesus. We will gaze upon the texts and share our insights about what we see. Just as with constellations, as we share our reflections, questions, and thoughts with one another, our light shines brighter and we see things that we never would have discovered on our own. Join us as we cast our Advent journey to Christmas in a new and rewarding light.
Today’s reflection is from Annie Webb:
IMMANUEL
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” -Isaiah 7:14
What’s in a name? In the Webb household, a lot! Dave and I had a couple of rules in naming our children. Dave said, “no one-syllable first names and no Juniors if we have boys.” Well, OK. I kept nixing names associated with people I didn’t particularly like. We LOVED our first boy’s name, found in a long list in a baby name book, then had a hard time matching that for the second boy and made a literal game-day decision after he was born. Our daughter got two names honoring her grandmothers and I see both of those strong women in her every day. In the end, all the lists, all the haggling, all the “ewww, no nevers” turned into Jameson David, Thomas Peter, and Meredith Josephine. Whew. Not too bad, right?
Imagine the anxiety of trying to name the son of God?! In Hebrew, Immanuel means “God With Us.” Well, maybe that was a slam dunk rivaling even the Webb name game. God in heaven, floating above ruling omnipotent can be hard to imagine, can’t He? We believe without seeing, sure, but oh to see God in the flesh. To have God walk literally among us? This name reverberates with me because I always had a hard time with the “puppet strings” God. The one behind the clouds playing chess with our lives. A much more comforting and real God to me is one who stands beside me when I go through trials. Who is near me when I celebrate? Who I know is with my children in any corner of the world that they venture to. Not one controlling everything, but one being there for everything. God With Us. Immanuel.
Immanuel, God with Us, reveal yourself to us this Christmas. Amen.