The Present of Presence

“Daddy, Daddy!  Look what I made!”  Five year-old Danny rushed into the family room, his face flushed with excitement, waving his construction paper masterpiece.  “It’s a snowman!” 

His father glanced up briefly from the TV.  “That’s good Danny.”

“Yeah Daddy, Teacher went to the snow and brought us back some.  It was white and cold.  It was wet and I got to touch it!”  Danny began jumping up and down and waving his snowman again.  But there was no response from his father, who was deeply buried in the local evening news sports report.

The smile faded from Danny’s face and his head fell.  He shuffled out of the family room into the hallway and plopped down on the floor.  Rusty, the family dog nuzzled him, licking away a tear trickling down his cheek.

Probably all of us can relate to this scenario of wanting to share our experience with someone who wasn’t really interested.  In that moment we wanted their presence, but painfully felt their absence instead.  And we were left alone with our wonder, excitement, or whatever we wanted to share, feeling a heavy void inside.  Suddenly the universe became an empty and lonely place, and we felt very small.

This experience isn’t limited to childhood.  It happens to us as adults too, more often than we probably care to acknowledge.  The presence of another is powerful.  When someone displays their interest in us by “being there” with undivided attention, they signal that we are important and have value to them.  We feel validated and joined in our experience, and that sense of shared presence is deeply fulfilling.  Shared presence is so important to human emotional health that psychologists tell us that love is spelled t-i-m-e.

Whose presence do you seek when you have something personally important to share?  How often are they available, and what do you do when they aren’t “there” for you?  Maybe if you are honest with yourself, you may be thinking, “No one is really there for me like that.”  That can be a very lonely realization.

Over 2000 years ago, God gave the world His greatest present, His presence in human form.  He became flesh, the baby Jesus, grew up and lived among us, so we could experience Him in a way we could understand.  And when He physically left earth, He sent His Spirit so His presence could be with us always.

God wants to be present with you.  Not is some abstract way, but in a deeply personal and intimate way.  He is interested in every detail of your life, every “up” and “down” moment.  He wants to give you undivided attention.  He loves and values you and is never disinterested.  He says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.  With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3)  “I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support.”  (Hebrews 13:5) 

God never forces Himself on anyone. He wants to be a constant presence in your life, always “there” for you, but you must invite Him in.  Not sure how, or perhaps you’re not sure there really even is a God?  No problem.  You can begin by saying, “God if You are real, please make Yourself known to me.  I invite Your presence into my life.”  Then let Him respond.   He will not disappoint or fail you.  He will give you the present of His presence.

Please come and join us this Sunday, the day after Christmas, at 10:30AM to learn more about God’s greatest present.  My sermon, “In the Fullness of Time” is part 4 in our Christmas series.

Back To Your Future?

“If only…..”  Have you ever said that to yourself?  The holidays are a wonderful time, full of social gatherings with family and friends, and warm memories of past celebrations.  For many, if not most of us, our memories include some “if only” moments that make us laugh or perhaps, wince.  “If only I hadn’t made that comment to my wife about my mother-in-law’s gift, ‘Well this tie is certainly going to the back of the closet never to see the light of day!’  Then hearing my mother-in-law’s voice, directly at my back, say with forced cheer: ‘Eggnog anyone?’”  Oops!

Sometimes our “if only” moments are more painful.  “If only I had said no to that first drink.  I was doing so well on my recovery program.”  “If only my ex and I had remained civil, we wouldn’t have spoiled the day for the kids.”  “If only I’d spent more time talking with my dad.  How was I to know he’d have a fatal heart attack 2 weeks later?”

How often have you wished you could go back into the past to change the present and future?  Wouldn’t it be great if that were actually possible?  You could clean the slate, get a fresh start and have a better outcome.  “If only” the past was accessible and correctable.

I think this common desire is part of the reason the 1985 sci-fi comedy, “Back to the Future,” was the most successful film that year, and has become an enduring classic.  You remember what happens.  Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a typical teenager in a typical southern California suburb, is accidentally transported in time (that incredible DeLorean) back to 1955, where he meets his parents as teenagers.  In a comedy of errors, his teenage mother has a crush on him, and he must get his parents to fall in love, or his very existence is threatened.

Of course, he does it.  But the way he does it has a positive impact on his parents’ future, so when he returns to the present, his parents are now in-love, physically fit and highly successful.  I think most of us who see the film, think “If only.”

I love Christmas, because every year it reminds me that there is a real “If only…”  There is a real way to erase the past mistakes and regrets, and change the present and future.  God knew that the human race needed an opportunity to redo the past after Adam and Eve made the wrong choice in Eden.  So 2,000 years ago, He sent His son, Jesus, into the world, born as an infant. His mission: to undo the wrong of Adam and Eve, and become the right through His obedient life, that sets all our past right. 

By going “back to the past” 2000 years ago, and meeting and receiving our Savior, we can eradicate our “if onlys” and transform our present and future. “Anyone who comes to Jesus Christ has become a new person.  Their old life is gone, and a new life has begun.” (2 Cor 5:17)  God has literally made it possible for us to go “back to our future!”

Make this your most memorable Christmas ever!  Accept God’s free gift of Jesus Christ and let Him take you back to your incredible future!

Please come join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM as we continue to discuss the significance of time.  My sermon, “The Fullness of Time” is part 3 of our Christmas series.

Down and Out in Bethlehem Hills

Joe sat silently, staring at his calloused, weathered hands, lost in thought.  “My father was right,” he said with a sigh.  “He said I would work with my hands all my life and so far I have.”  He sighed again more deeply.  

He never dreamed 27 years ago when he took a job as a night security guard that all these years later he would be in that same position, just barely getting by.  He was now middle-aged, a time in life when he should have something to show for all his efforts, but he didn’t.  He felt stuck in a boring existence, completely dead-ended.

And now the family would be gathering for the annual feast and the pressure was on to spend money they really didn’t have.  Rachal, his wife would be negatively comparing their modest status against that of more affluent in-laws.

Sam, his brother-in-law would dominate the dinner conversation boasting about his latest construction work on some elegant residence.  Uncle Morey and Aunt Liz would continue their decades long, non-stop bickering and everyone would have to watch Grandpa to make sure he didn’t drink himself into a rage.  It was supposed to be a festive time, but to Joe it felt as dull and predictable as his meaningless life.

Does this sound familiar?  As we approach the holidays, many people are excited and full of anticipation. Many others struggle with another year of unfulfilled dreams, disappointed hopes, and a deep sense of futility, as they feel stuck on the treadmill of their life. 

They may feel lonely, alienated from family, or dreading negative encounters with a former spouse about how to share child visitations over the holidays.  Lost opportunities of holidays past overwhelm them with sadness, crowding out the enjoyment of current celebrations.

As Joe sits and contemplates another uneventful, forgettable night like so many thousands he has experienced before, there is no way he can imagine the incredible turn his life is about to take.  Joe is not a contemporary, but a shepherd in the Judean hillsides 2000 years ago.  His occupation places him at the bottom rung of the social ladder in his culture.  Shepherds are considered to be ignorant and not too bright.  Their protracted time in the fields and offensive odor means they are banned from many social settings, and their lives are largely isolated and lonely.

But Luke 2:8-11, 13-14 describes what Joe is about to witness:  “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of God’s glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, but the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid.  I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior has been born today in Bethlehem.’

Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast number of other angels praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven.  Peace and goodwill to men on earth.’”

God chose to make the most significant birth announcement ever to insignificant, lonely men.  He focused His love and attention on these forgotten and sad souls, by sharing this great joyful news with them first.  They were front and center on His agenda.

It’s 2000 years later, but God has not changed.  No matter how forgotten or lonely you may feel, no matter how hopeless your life may seem, God loves you and wants to fill your life with joy.  You are front and center with Him, and He longs to give you the greatest gift of all: abundant life in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Come join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM to continue this discussion of God’s greatest gift.  My sermon “Joy to the World” is part 2 of our current Christmas series.

Is Your Security Leaking?

Just how secure do you feel these days?  If you are like most Americans right now, your answer is probably, “Not very.”  Virtually everyone has had one or more of their sources of security spring significant leaks in the recent economic downturn over the last few years.  Whether the market value of your home or retirement fund has shriveled, or you are currently un or underemployed, you feel less certain about what the future holds.

And if these types of resource drains aren’t enough, we get reminders frequently of other ways our security can be violated.  The security systems of our computers or on line accounts can be hacked into, revealing our personal information to identity thieves.  Our debit or credit card numbers can be lifted from ATMs and other card-swiping devices that have been tampered with.  The latest target during the holidays is giftcards that have been altered.  You buy the card and someone else checks by phone and spends the balance as soon as it becomes available.

Even security systems, long thought virtually invincible, have sprung significant leaks.  Currently a quarter of a million classified and top secret US documents have begun infusing the internet, courtesy of Wikileaks.  They contain everything from too candid comments about foreign countries and their leaders, to sensitive information about back door agreements between nations and behind the scenes negotiations.  Increasingly, it appears that nothing and no one has any degree of security they can count on.

Security leaks are not new.  It might surprise you to know that even God Himself has had to deal with a security leak.  It happened 2,000 years ago.  God had established a plan for a quiet invasion of earth by His Son, Jesus, arriving incognito as a newborn infant.  He would be born to two ordinary parents, Joseph and Mary, in a nondescript town, Bethlehem, during a major political event, a national census.  He would arrive under the radar and anonymous.

But several dedicated astronomers, read the stellar encryption and knew something monumental was about to take place.  They traveled to Judea, the land of Jesus’s birth and created a serious security leak by asking the king, Herod, “Where is the one who has just been born king of the Jews?”

Now tipped off, Herod was upset, as he certainly didn’t want a rival to the throne.  As a clever politician, he decided to use the security breach to his advantage.  He told the foreign astronomers to return after they found the infant king and disclose his location so he, Herod, could also go and pay homage.  But of course Herod had no such intention.  He was really planning to kill the child.

The astronomers found Jesus and presented him with costly gifts.  But God gave them a disturbing dream, and they decided to leave Judea without reporting back to Herod.  Their secret departure gave God time to warn Joseph to take Jesus and Mary and leave Judea altogether.  Their costly gifts no doubt financed the journey. 

God dealt with this major security leak.  He saved Jesus’s life, because after Herod found out he had been duped, he ordered the death of all male infants under 2 years old living in Bethlehem.  Satisfied he had eliminated the threat, Herod never realized that Jesus had secretly survived and would live to fulfill His divine mission.

No matter how major your security leaks currently are, God wants to give you a certain future, filled with hope.  He can take any situation and turn it around for your benefit.  He quietly invaded earth 2000 years ago for this very purpose.

Come and join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM to continue this discussion.  My sermon, “The Quiet Invasion” will reveal the true mission of Jesus on earth and how you can share in its benefits.