Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
The birth of the Messiah would be a miracle birth. He was to be born of a virgin; something unheard of; something only God could accomplish. People would speak of the birth, knowing that God was present in that event, and they would call the baby Immanuel, meaning God is with us.
As Joseph and Mary waited for the child to be born, they held this secret between them. The child in Mary’s womb was not Joseph’s but God’s. God was indeed with them. And they awaited his birth into the world.
Christ was born into the world on a night long ago, in a manger, in Bethlehem.
Christ is with us now, reborn into our hearts.
And we await his return for the redemption of the world.
May the love of Christ be with you,
Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)