Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign:
Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin
shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].
Isaiah 7:14 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
(“Emmanuel” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word, “Immanuel.”)
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We begin with an ancient song of prophecy and longing.
Stanza 1:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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And so the prophecy came to pass:
“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 1:20-23 NLT
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Once again we mark the arrival of Advent.
This holy season trumpets God’s extravagant love for us,
a love beyond reckoning.
Into our beautiful yet wounded world comes Emmanuel, God-with-us,
carrying the promise of fresh hope to enliven our hearts.
No matter how broken or seemingly hopeless our world may sometimes seem,
the Advent messages are rich with joyous expectation and longing,
insisting that God can and does bring forth life where none seems possible.
Sr. Chris Koellhoffer IHM
