“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? … If I rise on the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.”
Psalm 139:7, 9
Thoughts of your past Christmases may be spotted with good and bad memories. Even so, we often reflect nostalgically on the holidays. Many of our best times involve people: family members coming home, friends arriving from out of town, neighbors stopping in. You might say that the best part was simply having them present with you. It wasn’t the wrapped gifts. Their presence—not presents—is what meant the world.
“Christmas tells of the greatest gift, a presence, a visitation from a family member who makes the longest trip to us—the Father who draws closer to His people, the Son who treasures brotherhood with mere mortals, and the Spirit who makes all this happen. It is when the Lord’s promised presence permeates us with such a sweet, intoxicating nearness that it satisfies the longing of every heart” (Joseph Byamukama, 2022).
The warm delight of hearing from our loved ones or having them with us will fade. We grow older; we move away; death parts us entirely. But at the heart of Christmas is the presence of God, Immanuel, God with us.
“Christmas tells of the greatest gift, a presence, a visitation from a family member who makes the longest trip to us—the Father who draws closer to His people, the Son who treasures brotherhood with mere mortals, and the Spirit who makes all this happen. It is when the Lord’s promised presence permeates us with such a sweet, intoxicating nearness that it satisfies the longing of every heart” (Joseph Byamukama, 2022).
The warm delight of hearing from our loved ones or having them with us will fade. We grow older; we move away; death parts us entirely. But at the heart of Christmas is the presence of God, Immanuel, God with us.
Scripture Focus
Matthew 1:23
Insight
“‘God with us’ is the source of exquisite delight. ‘God with us’—all that ‘God’ means …, —this is worthy of the burst of midnight song.” (Charles Spurgeon, 1834-1892)
Bible In A Year
- Micah 1-4
- Proverbs 22
- Jude