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All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: \u201cThe virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel\u201d [which means \u201cGod with us\u201d] (Matthew 1:22-23).

Did you notice the new music? It\u2019s Advent! We thought it was time to change up Wilderness Wanderings. Advent seemed like as good a time as any. So, a couple of things that we are changing.

One, the music.

Two, you will be invited to make a simple paper ornament to hang up somewhere in your residence. We are including links to these ornaments in the notes. All you need to do is print, decorate and hang them up. You can find them on our church website under Advent Resources. (If you don\u2019t have a printer, you can probably make your own or get some from the church). Ornaments

Third, we will invite you to do something practical each day. Let me explain that.

Our Advent Theme comes from our text for today: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: \u201cThe virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel\u201d [which means \u201cGod with us\u201d].

To borrow a jazz expression, we are going to offer you 20 riffs on the theme \u2018Immanuel\u2019, the name of our congregation. This year seems like a great year to dig into that name which means, \u201cGod with us\u201d.

Some background to Matthew\u2019s text might be helpful. He refers to a passage found in Isaiah 7. Ahaz, king of Judah, was being attacked by two other kings. He was frightened. Isaiah shows up and tells Ahaz to trust God. To bolster his trust, the king needs to ask God for a sign. But Ahaz won\u2019t; he won\u2019t test God; truth be told, Ahaz doesn\u2019t have much trust in God at all. He doesn\u2019t want to ask for a sign, because he doesn\u2019t want to trust God.

Isaiah says that God will give Ahaz a sign none the less: a virgin (the Hebrew just says \u2018young woman\u2019) will give birth to a son and name him Immanuel. God wants Ahaz to know that he is with his people even when they cannot see it, even when they don\u2019t believe it. He is with them because that is who he is.

Matthew recognized that Isaiah\u2019s prophecy to Ahaz was being fulfilled again in Jesus. Jesus is Immanuel. This theme is woven throughout Matthew\u2019s gospel which ends with Jesus promise, \u201cI am with you to the end of the age.\u201d

As Christians, we live by that promise. We live our Christian lives in the faith that this is true.

But here is the thing. As with forgiveness, we don\u2019t experience this much unless we also live it. As Jesus said in a parable, when we help the hungry or the thirsty or the sick or the prisoners, we discover Jesus. When we act as the hands and feet of Jesus, we discover that He is with us.

So, this Advent, we suggest that when you prepare your ornaments, you include on them how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus. Then of course, we need to go and do it.

Here is a suggestion for today: Ahaz was frightened. Isaiah was God\u2019s messenger to him, \u2018Don\u2019t be afraid, God is with you.\u2019 Let\u2019s find someone who afraid and remind them that God is with them

We are hoping that this will become a congregational experience. Which means you are allowed to talk to others about what you are experiencing. You could also write into us and can share your stories (anonymously if you prefer).

Remember, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.