What do you do when a single phone call, a single diagnosis or a single decision undoes the whole order of your life? Mary and Joseph stood at exactly such a moment, and the angel began by telling them: do not be afraid (Matthew 1). The sermon shows that the name Immanuel, God with us, holds the entire Gospel of Matthew together, and that God does not save from a distance but enters human history: through an ordinary supper, tears at the table, someone quietly asking for prayer. Listen if you believe in God yet find it harder and harder to trust him.
The Story of Immanuel
Four Stories
Whenever Christmas approaches, we have the opportunity to reflect anew on the most beautiful story-the story of how God became human and came into the world to save us.
As we read the four Gospels, we discover that each evangelist presents these events from a slightly different perspective. Some focus on the circumstances of Jesus’ birth itself, while others-when speaking of His coming-trace their narrative all the way back to the creation of the world or to the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Yet, in essence, they are all telling one Story-the Story of Salvation. And we are not merely listeners.
We are invited to become part of it-by following Jesus, its main Character.
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11 sermons
