Presence

 

But when the time came for the kindness and love of God our Savior to appear, then he saved us—not because we were good enough to be saved but because of his kindness and pity—by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit…

—Titus 3:4-5 TLB

I remember it so clearly. As a college student, I was so blown away by the kindness of my uncle and aunt, who drove from Delaware to Houghton, New York, in order to attend my senior piano recital. They had already shaped my life in so many ways. My focus on music certainly came from their influence. In those days, it seemed to me like a very long way to drive, and a huge sacrifice of time. I remember the impact of their visit more than any other kindness on that night. To me, their presence meant deep love and caring. It revealed their sensibility and kindness.

I suppose Jesus could have stayed in heaven, sent new messages to new prophets, provided a new means of sacrifice for sins with the creation of new animals, or some other sacred rites, in order to satisfy the holiness of His Father and bring salvation to mankind. Instead, Jesus willingly came the very long way from Heaven. In so doing, He expressed to us His enormous love and unfailing kindness in a way that we could see, feel, hear, and experience, especially because we knew how unworthy we are to receive His mercy, grace, and love.

Certainly, my uncle and aunt could have attended a far superior piano concert in Washington D.C., or in Philadelphia—both cities much closer to their home in Delaware. Instead, they chose to come to a run-of-the-mill student senior recital, knowing the importance of the event to me.

Somehow, God’s coming to earth through His precious one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, lets us know that in His eyes we have inestimable value. God values us enough to sacrifice His Son to provide us a way to salvation. God obviously wanted to give us a living demonstration of His eternal love. He knew that through His Son, God’s presence would express His love like no other means could possibly express it.

Jesus’ very name means “presence.” To Joseph, the angel came in a kind and surprising visit to calm his fears and explain the strange happenings about to transpire. Matthew 1:23, re-quoting Isaiah 7:14, tells us the angel spoke these words:

“The virgin will be with child and will birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, ‘God with us.’”

Not only did Jesus come to us that first Christmas, but He still lives and loves and shows His kindness to us through His living presence in our lives by means of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. In this year of lonely, toned-down celebration because of the pandemic restrictions, let us rejoice again. Yes, let us rejoice that not only did Jesus care enough to come that first Christmas, but He continues to show His love and caring in that He lives for us, prays for us, and brings His presence beside us in all sorts of ways we may never have expected.

Indeed, let us rejoice as we continue to await the kindness and love of our Savior this Christmas. He will give us His divine presence in new ways for our messed up, dark, and lonely world this Christmas Season of 2020.