While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke2:6-7)
I can identify so much with millions of Filipinos who welcome their “Ber” months with loud playing and singing of Christmas carols. Recently, an unfamiliar song entitled “Emmanuel” by Hannah Kerr caught my attention. The message of the song resonated deeply with me.
A manger for a bed
No crown upon His head
He came like us instead
Emmanuel
Oh, what an invitation
Oh, His only expectation
Is for us to come and offer Him our all
To kneel before the Child who shall be called
Emmanuel
In this information age, it is easy to be distracted by trivial things that could sap our energy and time and divert our attention from what is eternal. We have the tendency to work hard for riches that tarnish, which leads to discontentment. We labor for career advancement, aim for higher educational attainment, search for greener pastures, and so on. I am personally guilty in focusing on such endeavors. But I realize that although these things are not inherently wrong, they are temporary and unimportant compared to what God values as significant.
The Scripture in Luke 2:6-7 reminded me how God intentionally sent His only Son in such humble circumstances to show us that it is not how Christ came that matters but why. There was no grand palace, but instead, He was born in a lowly manger. There were no epic battles with a mighty army but instead, He led His disciples to love and share the message of peace, forgiveness, and hope. Same with our lives, we may not receive any prestigious recognitions or fail to achieve our highest ambitions, but if we live recognizing and accomplishing our purpose, we are not living in vain.
Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and worship Him forever. As Christians, living a life focused on this pursuit is the only way we attain true joy and fulfillment. It is a task unattainable on our own, but we must live obediently because we are reassured by our Father’s faithful promise, “Emmanuel,” God with us.
One Response
Thank you for Emmanuel. Thank you for Christmas… Everything else was made possible because of this. We praise you Lord for being Emmanuel to us in all of time and history.