A Savior Has Come

Isiah 7:10-17

Scripture Reading #1:
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:10–17)

Note: Isaiah 7:10–17 stands at the intersection of immediate history and long-range Messianic hope, and our tradition reads it with both horizons firmly in view.
In its historical setting, the Lord graciously invites King Ahaz—an unbelieving and fearful ruler—to request a sign. Ahaz’s refusal, cloaked in false piety, exposes his hard heart. God therefore gives a sign unrequested: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” In the near term, this sign assures Judah that the Syro-Ephraimite threat will fail. Before the child reaches maturity, the lands of the two hostile kings will be desolate. Yet the passage also warns Ahaz: because he trusts in Assyria rather than the Lord, Judah will taste the very judgment of the nation he seeks as an ally.
The correct reading holds that this prophecy operates on two levels. A child born in Ahaz’s day served as the immediate historical marker; but the language—especially the name Immanuel and the description of a virginal conception—finds its fullest, Spirit-intended meaning in the birth of Christ (Matt. 1:22–23). Thus the text reveals God’s faithfulness despite human unbelief and points beyond temporary political deliverance to the ultimate deliverance found only in the incarnate Son.

Prayer of Praise: Gracious and faithful God, we praise You for Your sovereign mercy, giving a sign not because we asked in faith, but because You are faithful to Your promise. We bless You for Immanuel, God with us, conceived by Your power and given for our salvation. When we are fearful and slow to trust, You remain steadfast, accomplishing all You have spoken. Receive our praise for Your wisdom, Your patience, and Your redeeming love, fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading #2:

#2 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, 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 1:18–23)

Note: Matthew 1:18–23 introduces the gospel by highlighting God’s sovereign work in the incarnation, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy while establishing Jesus’ divine identity and mission. The passage begins with the miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit, emphasizing both His divinity and His sinless humanity. Joseph, a righteous man, demonstrates obedience and faith as he receives the angelic message in a dream, acting to protect Mary and honor God’s plan. This narrative underscores God’s providential control: the events unfold according to His predetermined purpose, not human initiative.

Matthew explicitly connects Jesus’ birth to Isaiah 7:14, calling Him Immanuel, “God with us.” This title signals the profound theological truth that God Himself enters human history to redeem His people. It reassures believers that salvation is not based on human effort but on divine intervention. The passage also models faithful discipleship through Joseph’s example: listening to God’s word, trusting His promises, and acting in obedience.

This text affirms God’s covenant faithfulness and the doctrine of the incarnation: Christ is fully God and fully man, born to accomplish salvation for His elect. The fulfillment of prophecy demonstrates God’s immutable plan and His sovereign initiative in the redemption of His people.

Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain

Scripture Reading #3:

“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” (Luke 24:44–47)

Note: This passage is especially significant because Jesus Himself interprets the Old Testament as fundamentally Christological. All three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures point to Him, and their fulfillment is not accidental but necessary—“must be fulfilled.” This underscores God’s sovereign redemptive plan and the unity of Scripture. Christ’s suffering, resurrection, and the global proclamation of the gospel are not new ideas but the fulfillment of what God had long promised.

Hymn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

1 Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"

2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin's womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th'incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. [Refrain]

3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth. [Refrain]

Hymn: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Closing Scripture: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrew 1:1-4)

Closing Hymn: The Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (together):

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen