Encounter: Read Luke 17:20-21.
“One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
Pause. Settle. Take a deep breath, hold it for a moment then release slowly. Continue reading.
Luke 17:22-23, 26-28, 30
“Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
Reflect: Liminal space - a state or place characterized by being transitional or intermediate in some way
Believe it or not, here we are at the end of 2024. The spirit of the Christmas season may still linger in your mind, or perhaps the start of 2025 in just a few days has already consumed the hope, peace, joy, love, and light of this holy time of year. Some may look back on 2024 with great joy; it was a year to remember. Others reflect reluctantly; it was a year they will never forget - and not in a good way.
Wherever you find yourself today, the reality is that we are all in a liminal space, the time between Christmas and the New Year. We reflect on 2024, but we also anticipate 2025. Questions arise. How many days until the next holiday and more time off of work? How can I accomplish my goals for myself this year? How will I continue to invest in this or that relationship? How will I pay for repairs on the car or my house?
Jesus observed a very important aspect of our human nature when asked about the heavenly nature of God’s Kingdom. We get caught up in the things of this world so much that we miss the Kingdom of Heaven when it (or better yet, He) is standing right in front of us.
This Sunday we end our journey through Advent with our “return.” We’ve been through an experience, an encounter with the God who came down to us through a baby. Were there moments of clarity this Christmas when that reality sunk in? Amidst the presents and the gifts, God’s presence is the gift - Emmanuel, God with us - Jesus. Perhaps this Advent was so full in the shorter than usual time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that all you could do was keep your head down and press on. If that was the case, I again invite you to pause, settle, inhale, exhale, repeat. The Good News of Jesus is that He continually extends the warm welcome of His presence even when we’re running 100 mph. Even now, after Christmas, His presence remains for us to simply come as we are before Him.
Encourage: Just as Jesus continually offers us His presence as Emmanuel, we too have the unique opportunity to be present with those around us. When we look back at the stories of Jesus’s life throughout the Gospels, we see that His life was fully commissioned by God the Father, but at the same time was seemingly full of “disruptions” from people asking for His help. Jesus lived a busy and full life but was never rushed or hurried to get certain things done or finish meeting with others in order to move on to the next. He was fully present right where He was.
As we end this year and begin a new one in the next week or so, how might the peace and unhurriedness of Jesus be a source of peace and unhurriedness for you? Consider those around you in this liminal space; how might the peace and unhurriedness of Jesus impact your interactions with those around you? How can the presence of Jesus in your life bring about your full presence with those around you, even in times when you’ve got lots of other obligations vying for your attention, time, and energy? I’ll go a step further in helping to define what I mean by “presence/being present” simply as intentional listening without even the pressure of responding with the “right” words. Often in our fast-paced society, the gift of slowing down to listen is one of the greatest things we can give. I remember hearing from a pastor that ministering/serving in Jesus’s name is nothing more than being present to the one in front of you.
Gather: The beauty of Christ’s Church is being surrounded by community that is seeking the transformation of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The challenge above to be more present with those around us is just that…a challenge. To be more present to others means putting them above ourselves for just a few minutes. And it is even more challenging when those most in need of our presence are those with whom we disagree or with whom our personalities clash. Because of this, being in a Church community is so necessary; we need a place to rest and be restored. Of course, God is our greatest comfort, but He created the Church to be a tangible representation of the spiritual realities of life in community.
As you try your best to be more present with those around you, share with your life group or those with whom you’d consider spiritual friends how you received this challenge of presence. Was it more natural than you thought it’d be or was it one of the more difficult things you’ve done recently? Offer words of gratitude for those around you that practice being present with you in your own times of need.
Present with you,
Pastor Matt
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