Christmas Message from Bishop Mina 2020

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I wish you all a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas, my beloved sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. On this holy day of the feast of Nativity, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy new year. I wish to take that opportunity to contemplate with you about Jesus’s name Immanuel

Let us open our bible on Isaiah 7:14,

In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet writes, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel”. This Hebrew name Immanuel occurs twice in the Old Testament,

1. Both times in Isaiah,
2. Both in prophecies concerning the Messiah

Seven centuries later, In Matthew 1, God sent Gabriel to Nazareth and the angel told Mary that she would have a son and to name him Jesus. Angel Gabriel told Joseph that Virgin Mary is conceived with a son to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah : “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Matt. 1:23)

IMMANUEL (sometimes spelled Emmanuel) in Isaiah 7:14, means “God is With us”

JESUS means “Savior” and God with us.”

JESUS is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, JOSHUA is actually a shortened form of Jehoshua which means “Help of Jehovah” or “Savior”

St Mary was told to name Her baby, Jesus, this was to be

1. His name and
2. To signify that He would be the Savior.

But, Jesus also going to be

1. The Messiah / Christ (anointed) and
2. Immanuel (God with us).

He also is referred to by other names such as

• The Lord,
• The King,
• The King of Israel,
• The Son of David,
• The Chosen of God,

These names were just signifying different aspects of

• Who He was
• What He would be

Emmanuel indicates that the expected Messiah would be “God with us.”

Emmanuel: “God is with us”

Reminds us with the last verse in Matthew (28:20): “Behold, I [Jesus] am with you always, until the end of the age” What does Immanuel mean? First, the name or title Immanuel comes from two Hebrew words the preposition im, “with, beside, by, among” ‘el, “God.” means simply, as the narrator tells us, “God with us.” But what is its significance?

What does (God is with us) mean to you?

1. God Is with Us to Help Us
2. Do you know what it feels like, to feel alone?

The wonderful promise made through Immanuel is that:-

1. God promises to be with you in your troubles.
2. He will not leave you to your own resources.
3. All of his resources are now available to you.

In past times, God had made this promise to special people in history like:-

1. Abraham who was an alien غریبin a threatening land, but God said to him:- “I am with you and will watch over you, wherever you go.”
2. Moses was told to personally confront the most powerful king on the face of the earth with nothing but a staff and the promise from God,:- “I will be with you!” As a result, God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt through the Red Sea.
3. God promised Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

But, what about you and me? Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us,” means that :- His promise is not just to the great leaders but to all of us.

The promise is to you.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he spoke to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” That promise of Immanuel is not just to the apostles, it is to us also, The same promise in the Bible to reassure all of us — “I will never leave you or forsake you” Jesus is— God Himself And He is Immanuel, God With Us!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year May our God be with you always.

May God bless you all, 

— His Grace Bishop Mina
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Mississauga, Vancouver, and Western Canada
January 6, 2020