Emmanuel

I love the word ‘Emmanuel’. Not because it’s the name of the beautiful college that turned me down and saved me from living someone else’s life. Not because it’s the name of the Ugandan pastor I lived with for 3 months and ribbed me about everything from my singleness to my facial hair. I love the word ‘Emmanuel’ because, according to the Bible, it’s the name of God. And ‘Emmanuel’ means, ‘God with us’.

Probably like everyone else, I grew up thinking God was a long way away. I actually thought I was on his side; that I was in his good books. I was a spiritual teacher’s pet (And now I know some teachers, I know literally no one likes a teacher’s pet). But even though I badged myself a Christian, chewed on morals and spat out judgement, I was more of a fan of his work than anything else. “Good teachings, God.” “Love that new book, The Sermon on the Mount; ‘love your enemies’, good stuff...” But I’d get all shifty if you asked me if I actually knew the guy.

I think all that changed at the end of school year 9. I’d spent 3 years trying to get in with the cool crowd and screwed up my life in the process. They used to sing in science (to the tune of Wild Thing),
‘Hugsy, what is your street cred,
On a scale of one to ten?
I think you’ll find it’s two.
Hugsy, your life sucks.’

Then they dumped me. I walked alone round Alma road to the station, singing Whitney Houston’s All by Myself.

That’s when it happened. I had the best summer of my life. I went to a Christian sailing camp and discovered I loved the bible. I went to church and discovered people who thought I was worth getting to know. I bought a Delirious CD and sang those songs everywhere I went for months – songs about God.

Something was going on. Instead of getting bored by church songs, I started getting excited. I started jumping and shouting and laughing and smiling and longing for the next event. After one of those nights, I’d go round hugging people, and apologise to my family for things, and I actually felt happy being me.

What happened? I think what happened is that God stopped being ‘out there’ and started being ‘in here’. He showed me he loved me. For that I said, ‘come; take over my bankrupt life and make it work again. Do it better than I ever could.’ I became an employee in my own life; but I’m so glad I did. Our turnover increases every year and our share price has never been so good. Plus we get on really well.

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This is the reason Christians celebrate Christmas. Yep, it’s about Jesus being born into poverty and some unusual goings-on with stars and angels and the like. But that’s really only interesting because of what it tells us about God. It tells us that God doesn’t want to be the distant judge we grew up with. He wants to come and do life with us, talk to us and listen to us and help us and laugh with us and cry with us and explain to us why that man’s got a funny leg

and take us on adventures and hold us and tell us how special we are and how much he loves us... He wants to be the Dad we all wish we’d had or could be.

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And it tells us that he’s not going to give up on us or get bored or start a new family somewhere else – because he became a man like one of us, and died for us as a man, and came back to life as a man, and is waiting for us in paradise and he’s still a man. He’s committed. He’s wonderful. He’s Emmanuel – God with us.

gs

gs

I was born in poverty, with animals and rags.
I grew up a refugee, and couldn’t see my dad.
No one paid me interest: ‘bastard’ was my name.
I sweated for my living until my hour came...

gs

Christmas is for life, not just for christmas. The new record: www.myspace.com/thescatcat