“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 7:14
Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you have not studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, and how).
Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.
Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?
Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?
Lectio Quote
“This is the message of the Winter Pascha. God is with us on earth. He is in our very midst as the man Jesus, whose name is Immanuel. He has revealed His unknowable, inconceivable, ineffable, invisible nature in the most tangible way as the child who is born for us; as the Son who is given to us. To understand this and to submit to it is man’s greatest glory and joy.”
The Winter Pascha, 116. (Thomas Hopko)
You can go through the same steps that we use for Lectio Divina for Scripture, or simply take some time and read this quote slowly and seek the Holy Spirit’s help to press into the incredible truth of “Immanuel,” God with us.