Christmas Presence

He came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him. But to those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision, but of God (Jn. 1:11-12).

Last Sunday after church, I took my mother to do some shopping at Costco. As expected, the place was packed with people doing Christmas shopping. As we passed the electronics aisle, Mom made a comment about how so many kids these days are addicted to their video games, iPods and other gadgets to the point that they rarely, if ever, sit down and just have a normal conversation, either amongst themselves or with their families. This is a sad but true statement. And it’s not just the kids. For all the means of communication at our disposal these days, people have become isolated and disconnected from one another.

In countless ways, we as a culture continue to deliberately isolate and disconnect ourselves from our Creator. One example is a case that will be argued in the next few weeks before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by another lawsuit whose goal is to eradicate the term “In God we trust” from our monetary instruments.

With the advancement of science and technology, the Lord has been increasingly relegated to the back burner. Science now “explains” that which has always been viewed as the hand of God reaching into human affairs, as if the ability to make great discoveries is of our own creation. As a result, God has become irrelevant to many people. Paradoxically, it is noteworthy that in the days immediately following 9/11, hundreds or even thousands who hadn’t darkened the doors of a church in years found themselves in the pews and on their knees. People found comfort in the presence of the God who is indeed relevant.

The voice of the prophet Isaiah cried out anew in those days: Fear not , I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice (Is. 41.10). We see this repeated to a greater or lesser extent whenever there is some sort of disaster. For all our technology and intellectual development, in the end, humility demands that we acknowledge our human need for Someone beyond ourselves and our own limited experience.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines presence as “immediate proximity in time or space.” Thankfully, He who is called Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us,’ (Mt. 1:-23), is intimately close and ever-present to us, whether or not we acknowledge that presence. Our Lord gives Himself as gift to us in an unbreakable covenant. Even if we are unfaithful, He will remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13).

In this Advent season, we prepare anew to celebrate the birth of our Savior, both His coming in history, and the Parousia when He will come again at the end of time. We celebrate because we have read the last chapter and we know that He has already won the victory for all who have enthroned Him in their hearts. The Lord says: Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world (Mt. 28:20) and He sends us out to show forth His love to the world. This Christmas, and indeed every day, let us give one another the perfect gift - His presence within each of us.

Prayer Request: For those to whom God has become "irrelevant."

Prayer: O Lord, our Creator, in whom everything has its source, we thank You for being always present to us. In this holy season, be born anew in each of us, that we may shine Your light for our darkened world. We make this prayer through Him who is, who was, and who is to come - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.