Four - The Number of Immanuel

Secular observance of the Christmas season has become over-commercialized and atminimum does not focus properly on the significance of Christ s birth the arrival ofImmanuel! Sadly, even religious observance has at times become stale, with too muchemphasis given to entertainment which results in artificial joy. In general, culturalmindset has missed the magnitude of Immanuel s coming; both secular and spiritualhave overlooked the elegant hope and unfettered joy of the Savior s birth. Here wecelebrate the Christmas season fittingly by exploring the numbers (and their meaning)found in the familiar Christmas accounts (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2). We gain understanding by reviewing the appearance of number four in accounts of theSavior s birth. Within this specialized topic, we avoid bland secular and trite religiousobservance of Christmas and instead center on the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the numbers, the birth accounts of Jesus proclaim the most joyful news ever given the Savior has come to earth.