Several years ago, while working as a hospital chaplain, December came around and the
hospital auxiliary frantically made sure as many places as possible were covered by some sort of
decoration. Now, I’m not much into that sort of thing. I’ve often said that my decorations for
Christmas consist of the possibility of putting a red cloth on the dining room table. But then, that color
doesn’t work with anything else, so I usually leave it in the drawer.
During that time, though, I did ponder the meaning of one word from Isaiah while I walked
through the hallways. That word comes from Isaiah 7, and is a name we ascribe to Jesus, although
that’s not what the prophet had in mind. The word, or name? Emmanuel. As with Hebrew names, it
has meaning. That is, it means “God with us.”
click here to continue reading at our December Epistle