The Name That Changes Everything: Meeting Emmanuel
Pastor Rasol Manouchehri Ardakani - 9 December 2025
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)”
Welcome to Day 9.
If you had to sum up the entire message of the Bible in just three words, you could do a lot worse than the three words at the end of today's verse: God with us.
We have arrived at the New Testament in our journey. We have seen the promises in the Garden of Eden, we have heard the prophets pointing the way, and now, finally, the angel announces that it is happening. The baby is coming. And this baby has a name that defines His entire mission.
Emmanuel.
I think this might be one of the most comforting words in history.
Most religions in the world feature a god who is distant. They usually describe a deity who lives high up on a mountain or far away in the heavens. In those stories, it is up to the humans to do all the work. We have to climb the mountain, we have to follow the rules perfectly, or we have to make enough sacrifices to get God's attention. The direction of travel is always us trying to get up to God.
Christianity flips that completely on its head.
Emmanuel means that God came down to us. He didn't wait for us to sort ourselves out. He didn't wait until we were holy enough or good enough. He packed His bags and moved into the neighbourhood.
This is staggering when you really stop to think about it. The God who created the galaxies, the One who is holy and perfect, chose to become a human being. He chose to have fingerprints and footprints. He chose to feel hunger, tiredness, and cold. He chose to be limited by time and space, just like us.
Why would He do that?
He did it because He wants to be with us. He isn't interested in being a distant observer of your life. He wants to be involved. He wants to be present in your joy, and He wants to be present in your pain.
Many of us go through life feeling deeply lonely. We can be surrounded by people at a Christmas party and still feel isolated inside. We wonder if anyone really knows us or truly understands what we are carrying.
The message of Emmanuel is that you are never alone. There is no place you can go where God is not present. If you are in a hospital room today, He is there. If you are sitting in an empty house, He is there. If you are stressed at work, He is there.
He bridged the gap that we could never cross. So today, you don't need to shout to get God's attention. You don't need to climb a spiritual ladder to find Him. You just need to whisper His name. He is right there with you.
Prayer of the Day:
Lord Jesus, we honour You today as Emmanuel. Thank You for leaving the glory of heaven to walk on this dusty earth with us. We are so grateful that we do not have a distant God who is indifferent to our struggles. Thank You that You are near. Help us to live today with the deep comfort of knowing that we are never, ever alone. Amen.