Give Presence

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,

for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD.

(Psalm 89:15 NLT)

“…worship without an awareness of Christ is impossible…For to behold Him is to love Him, and to love Him is to worship Him.”   -Judson Cornwall

At this time of year I love to think about presents. Not my wish list, but what presents I want to give. To me a tangible gift is an expression of love. Nowadays as the kids in my family are growing up I could make one stop at Walgreen’s and buy a bunch of gift cards. But that is so dissatisfying to me. I enjoy thinking about and finding that one thing that will give the receiver a lift, or say she thought about me.

Another gift that people often overlook is the gift of presence. Since I have been fairly occupied with school this semester, I have missed spending time with my family and friends, so my gifts this year may not come from a store, so much as just some time to be together. Taking a walk, grabbing a cup of coffee, sitting on the couch together watching a Christmas movie…these are the things I long to give this year.

Jesus modeled this gift the best. After all, He is Immanuel! I found a different translation, other than the familiar “God with Us”; it also means “With us is God”. Somehow that phrasing warms my heart.

I wanted to leave you with a website to check out, a pastor friend of ours recommended it, and I think you will enjoy its message and the ideas that lead us to a deeper advent experience. Check out http://www.adventconspiracy.com/

I hope you have many opportunities to give presence this Christmas!