Christians must be signs of God’s encounter with humans

By Msgr. John Wynand Katende

Posted on: Thursday, 18th December 2025

“Therefore, the Lord shall give you this sign: the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”- Isaiah 7:14

It has been observed that man is religious and political by nature. To that effect, our religion influences our politics. It is also a given that all people have a worldview relating to their faith convictions. Faith convictions are either theological (divinely transcendent) or ideological (humanly immanent) in nature. Hence, we can not logically function in society without these assumptions.

The Christian religion gives birth to a Christian worldview that reflects the moral and ethical values of God’s Ten Commandments, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and the apostles’ teaching. Uganda, being a Christian country, its Constitution is largely the political manifestation of a Christian worldview.

If we claim the Christian faith but adhere to a political scheme that is contrary to a Christian ethic, we need to do some serious soul-searching. It means that our true religion is not Christianity but something else entirely.

In the Scripture portion quoted above, Ahaz of Judah is known to have been one of the cruellest kings Israel ever knew. Ahaz even offered his own son as a burnt offering to the Canaanite pagan god Moloch (2 Kings 16:3). His action is said to have been motivated by profound apostasy and a desperate attempt to gain favor from the pagan god, during military and political distress. Ahaz was the opposite character of King David, who was sincerely a man after God’s heart and so much endeared to the people.

Prophet Isaiah went to King Ahaz with words of warning against his pagan conduct. He assured to him that the God of Israel would definitely protect His people; and told Ahaz to ask for a sign to prove it. But, pretending to righteous, Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, as he preferred to rely on his allies rather than to trust God's providence. 

Ignoring the disloyal king, however, Isaiah went ahead and told Ahaz of the birth of an “Immanuel-child” who would be the sign that God remained with the people. Responding to a proud and conniving ruler who depended only on political alliances, God worked through a simple young woman whose vulnerable child possessed the power to undermine well-armed, determined bullies. That is to say, God dwells with people through their very own. As Mary would express in her song, known as the “Magnificat”, God overcomes the haughty through the humble (Luke 1:46-55).

Matthew 1:23 reinterprets Isaiah's prophecy, applying it to the coming of Jesus, the Emmanuel. His statement that Mary was "found with child through the Holy Spirit.", coincides with Isaiah's announcement about Emmanuel. The name Jesus actually means “God saves”; by conquering evil and death. “God draws near to humanity, entering into our history in the vulnerability of a child”, says Pope Leo XVI.

Matthew's portrayal of Joseph is also of great significance. It reveals what is often entailed in collaborating with God. Like Mary, Joseph had to be willing to give up everything for the sake of God's mysterious plan. Giving up everything, in this context, includes all those things by which we cherish and tend to identify ourselves.

Through His life, death and resurrection, Christ draws people of goodwill into realizing their true identity in Himself. In other words, when we choose to embrace this reality, our sense of identity changes, along with our choices. Christians must be good stewards of their society and promote justice and righteousness, which includes electing leaders who embody these virtues.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverb 29:2). Even though the ongoing election exercise tends to be violent and commercialized, the good news is that we serve a God who has everything under control. All we have to do is trust Him and His word, and do the right thing. In the end, it is Christians who are called to become the sign through which the world can encounter Emmanuel, by demonstrating love, kindness, forgiveness, justice and peace, patience, etc, in daily life  (Galatians 5:22-23).