god with us

today i studied isaiah 7:14    "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name *Immanuel." (*with us is God)

isaiah 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

and isaiah 60:1-3 "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

 sometimes when i think of the meaning of immanuel, God with us, i think of that song "what if God was one of us, just a stranger on the bus.." i suppose if that song was written for the people in jesus' time the lyrics would have been different, i imagine jesus living by me, walking past me in a shop and i didn't know who he was.  didn't know the saviour of the world brushed my sleeve, passed me a bowl of dates (it could happen), didn't know that the living waters was right there at my finger tips,   that the great healer of hearts and the one who will set all prisoners free was right there, with me on that road to emeus or by the well in samaria or by the pool of bethsaida or anywhere. that the light of the world was shining and i was blind to the light.

it's the same today.  and isaiah wanted to shout it from the mountain tops.  he's here.  he's with us.  God is with us.  and his light will shine on us.  and we'll know things that we didn't know--that God lives. that he loves us.  that he has a plan for us.  that there is salvation. there is redemption. that God is always with us.  i forget that sometimes.  i get caught up in cloudy darknesses and forget that he's there and he's promised to always be there.  and his arm is outstretched still.  i love the way this choir blasts out the message and let's it ring out.  glad tidings.  behold your God.  arise.  shine.  i hope i can.