The Name: Emmanuel Lutheran Church
EMMANUEL
What comes to mind when you see the name Emmanuel? Is it a kid that you knew at school or the name of a church you once attended? Maybe it reminds you of Christmas time.
Emmanuel (sometimes spelled with an i) is one name applied to the person of Jesus. Surprisingly, it is only used once in the New Testament in a quote from Isaiah 7:14. The verse comes following the angel’s announcement to Joseph:
Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:20–23 (ESV)
Many reject the person of God because of His hiddenness. They say, “If God exists, why would He hide Himself?” The gospel writer Matthew responds to this critique by declaring that Jesus is God with us. The all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, eternal, Creator God humbled Himself. He was born of woman. He walked the dusty roads of Palestine. He endured pain and sorrow. He suffered at the hands of sinful man and was put to death on the cross.
If the story ended there, we could not say that God is still with us. The story continues! Jesus rose from the dead and ascended bodily into heaven. Our Emmanuel is now seated at the right hand of the Father. No longer limited spatially to be present at one place at a time, Jesus is as present as ever!
LUTHERAN
How do you know Christ’s presence? One of the gifts that historic Christianity and Lutheranism has given to the church is a theology of the presence of Christ in the sacraments.
Baptism is more than just getting wet. As Christ connects His life-giving Word to the water, He delivers to us Himself. In baptism we are buried and raised with Christ (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). Christ is present and working in the waters of baptism to deliver forgiveness of sins and salvation (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)
Consider also communion. Trusting the words of Christ, “this is my body… this is my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:24), we welcome the mystery of Christ’s presence in the sacrament of the altar. Christ is not far off. He has given us, flesh and blood human beings, His true body and blood. In Christ’s body and blood believers receive the forgiveness of sins as declared by Scripture (Matthew 26:28). This sacrament is more than just an afterthought to the service, but at the very center of who we are as the body of Christ.
CHURCH
What is church all about? How would you answer this question? The answer could go various directions:
“It’s about loving people”
“It’s about good coffee, fellowship, and the Bible”
“It’s about fulfilling the Great Commission”
“It’s about spirit-filled worship”
“It’s about making us better people”
“It’s about a good preacher and praise band”
While all of these are good answers, there is something more at the heart of what the church is about. In the book of Acts we see the first church gathering primarily around the Word (apostles teaching), sacraments (breaking of bread), and prayer. Early church writings confirm that Holy Communion was at the center of weekly church gatherings.
At Emmanuel we define our purpose as “Gathering into the life-giving presence of God.” In other words, church is not about us getting to God or bettering ourselves. Rather, it is about gathering in the presence of Emmanuel who gives us His life (Matthew 18:20; Ephesians 5:25-27). We like to view the Divine Service as a thin space where heaven meets earth. Truly, the body of Christ gathered around the gifts of Christ is a close as we get to heaven on earth.
Praise the Lord that He gives us His gifts in and through the body of Christ—the church!
If you have more questions about who we are and what we believe, please visit our about page.
If you or someone you know would like to connect with us at Emmanuel, please contact us through the contact form on our home page.