The Sound Of ChristmasSample

Immanuel

Lyrics by David Binion

Immanuel, behold the Lamb of God

Has come to dwell.

I have seen His face and live to tell

His Kingdom is at hand

In reach of every man

The Heavens are declaring listen well

God is with us

Sing Immanuel 

Immanuel 

God is surely with us

Immanuel 

He has come to free us

Immanuel 

Mary called Him Jesus

The Heavens are declaring listen well

God is with us

Sing Immanuel 

In the Book of Isaiah (7:14), the prophet addresses King Ahaz of Judah and promises the king that God will destroy his enemies. As a sign of the truth of this promise, Isaiah predicts that a young woman will shortly give birth to a child whose name will be Immanuel, which means "God is with us.”

In Exodus, God told Moses, “No man can see my face and live!” It’s understandable that it would be impossible to draw near to the unapproachable light of His bright glory. And now the contrast: a virgin gives birth and is able to behold the “Face of God.” The Glory of Heaven became veiled in the flesh of an infant. Touchable. Visible. Extraordinary.

There was something so powerful about His presence that even while still in the belly of the Virgin Mary, after coming into close proximity of her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, John leapt in the womb of his mother. Something about His presence reaches into the deepest places of our being. 

Now enter, the Sound of Christmas! The first Christmas. Angels announce His entrance to unsuspecting shepherds out under the stars. The cry of a mother giving birth. The sound of the infant crying and taking his first breath.

So now let’s consider this reality. God IS with us. His Kingdom is at hand. When John, the cousin of Jesus, grew into a man and pursued the prophetic call on his life, he boldly declared: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Immanuel had come to us, the image of God was made visible, the Word became flesh, and He brought the influence of Heaven with Him. At age 12, He astounded the wise men in the temple. He performed His first known miracle at a wedding. When He called His disciples to follow Him, they turned their backs on everything just be with Him. To be “with” God. But despite everything, they didn’t fully understand that it was Him. It wasn’t until after the Resurrection that they came to realize the magnitude of what they had experienced and, even then, two of His followers didn’t recognize Him on the road to Emmaus.

“And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?””

Luke24:32NKJV

May we never be in a place where we experience His presence and miss the reality that God is with us. Let us celebrate with the Sound of Christmas: Christmas carols, the buzz of family and friends in sweet fellowship and the laughter of children. May we always remember why we celebrate. In all of the joyous singing with our children and reuniting with family, may we be fully aware that God is with us!

He came then, so that He can be “God with us” now.