The
presence of the Lord is always in our midst. This is a powerful reality that we cannot, and
should not, ignore. Take a stroll with me past a few of the scriptural
landmarks.
1In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth
was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2
And they
heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from
the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
Then the
cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of
the Lord filled the tabernacle. Exodus 40:34
But the
Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20
And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace
and truth. John
1:14
1When the
day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2And
suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it
filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as
of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4And they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the
Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4
19 Or do
you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom
you have from God? You are not your own, 20for you were bought with a
price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Creation>Tabernacle/Temple>Incarnation>Pentecost>Our
Body. God is with us. He is above us, around us, and in us!
In writing
about the John 1:14 passage, J.D. Walt says this.... “Made his
dwelling” fails to capture it. The Greek word is skay-no-o (phonetic spelling).
It means, quite literally, “He pitched his tent and tabernacled among us.”
Jesus is the tabernacle of God—in human flesh, just like you and me. And do you
remember his calling to us? “Follow me.” (Wake Up Call, Nov 30,2024,
Seedbed.com)
Christ
with us. Christ in us. Follow Christ. Bear Christ to the world. That is our
worship and our mission.
This Advent
season, may we all renew our grip on the truth that God is among us and in
us-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the wilderness of this world, He is
with us as we, like John the Baptist before us, proclaim "Behold!
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29b)
O come, O
Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the
shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light. (Advent Hymn: “O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel,” v.6)
Be Blessed
and Be a Blessing this Advent Season!
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