A Heaven-Inspired Birth Steeped In History

Immanuel is the joining of the heavenly with the historical.

Some people have a disdain for the study of history. Why spend time learning about events, people and places in some distant past?

But the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel is deeply involved with the human story. History appears to be God's favorite subject.

God could have communicated with us earthlings without a trace of human interaction. Any resulting "Bible" could have simply been a collection of inspirational sacred writings and rules for living, void of any names, dates, events or anything having to do with the human experiences of mortals like ourselves.

But in fact every part of God's story is interlaced with our story. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah introduces the radical concept of Immanuel, which means "God with us." This intimate connection with God incarnate is the means by which God restores and redeems us as members of the human family.

In the very first gospel in the New Testament, Matthew begins with a genealogy, suggesting the importance God gives to history. The stories of these spiritual ancestors are an integral part of our continued story. Five women, each with a fascinating resume, are given prominence.

As Christians we are especially aware of all this during Advent and in our celebration of Nativity. The thin space between the heavenly, spiritual realm and that of our earthly, historical one is bridged in an amazing way. An ordinary Joseph and young Mary become key players in God's unfolding drama of redemption. Heavenly hosts and shepherds, angels and learned men from afar interact with each other as though this were the normal and natural thing to do.

Immanuel. God with us. Heaven with us.

Thanks be to God.

In the words of hymn writer Marty Haugen,

"We are the young - our lives are a mystery,

we are the old - who yearn for your face.

We have been sung throughout all of history,

called to be light to the whole human race...

"Not in the dark of buildings confining,

not in some heaven, light years away,

but here in this place, the new light is shining;

now is the Kingdom, now is the day..."