Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
Revelation 21:3
Why is it that we love Christmas? If we ask someone under 12 I am guessing they're going to say presents is why they love Christmas! But I think for the rest of us a big part of why we love Christmas is we work hard at being together. We plan the big dinner, family and friends crowded round the table, we want our homes to be full with loved ones, friends dropping in, family coming to stay, laughter, fun, full of shared joy.
Sadly, as we gather together at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel - God with us, we sense an ache in our souls for something that lasts. Despite the joy of a great dinner and spending time with family and friends, we’re sad when it ends and face the reality that Christmas is temporary and back to normal life we go. Christmas, as good as it is, is just a light shining on a deeper truth. Could such togetherness ever last?
The Lord declares in Revelation 21:3 this wonderful truth.
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God's dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
Revelation 21:3
Folks, that ache we feel, that longing for closeness and relationship, points us to something deeper.
You see God has always been with His people. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden till sin broke that fellowship in Genesis 3, He moved with His people in the Tabernacle and then was present in the temple.
And so it was until we read in John 1:14 "...The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.." or instead of dwelt it could be translated tabernacled among us! As we celebrate the incarnation of Christ we find the clearest picture of what it looks like for God to live among his people. They could touch Him.
Finally, as the incarnation came to an end and Jesus ascended to be at the right hand of the Father, God now dwells with His people through His Holy Spirit. So now all God's people can know His presence, although always partial and limited in scope.
But one day, God will dwell with his people in fulness. We, together, will be His people and He will be our God, more fully than when Christ walked the earth, we all will have intimate communion with God and directly experiencing God's presence.
Christmas comes and goes, we still live in a world full of endings where relationships are fragile, I feel the weight of that as I prepare for my uncle's funeral next week. We still have that ache inside us that all is not as it should be. Yes, God is with us now, but not yet as He will be.
One day God will dwell with us forever, so we don't need to expect permanence from temporary things, if we do we find hurt and unmet expectations, even bitterness. Of course we can enjoy Christmas, relationships and family, they are just echoes of the ultimate relationship we find with God in eternity.
He will be our God, and we will be His people! We will enjoy such fellowship with our God that will be intimate and eternal. Let those of us in Christ, know this promise is sure. If Christmas is hard for you this year and it is for many of us, rest in the joy everlasting won for you in Christ.
The God who came to us at Christmas will one day dwell perfectly with us forever!
Rejoice!
Written by Jim Coyle
A thought to remember: One day, Emmanuel’s people will dwell with him perfectly
A bit more to read: Revelation 21
A question to ask: What would change about your today, knowing that one day you could be with Jesus perfectly?
A song to sing: Sing We The Song of Emmanuel