Christmas Eve meditation

 In ancient times, people worshiped many gods. And those gods lived in far off places. Places like Mt Olympus, and Asgard; places no mortal could visit.

So there was a separation between people and the gods. 

But the god of Israel wanted to dwell not in some far off, unreachable place, but among the people. 

So this god had the people construct an ark, a tabernacle, so that God could live among them, and be with them.

Then, once the people reached the promised land, and settled down, God had them construct a temple. The temple was a more permanent residence for God, right there in the center of their nation…right there in the center of their world.

But the temple was destroyed (by people, not by God). It was rebuilt, then destroyed again, then rebuilt again. And some of the people lived far away from the temple; some of them were taken into captivity, sent far away from the temple…far away from the dwelling place of God. 

God then decided to dwell among the people not just in a temple, set apart in a fixed location, but as one of them. 

God would start as all people started: as a tiny baby, vulnerable. 

And just as the people were sometimes forced into exile, forced to move, so too was it with this baby. After he was born, his family fled to Egypt, refugees escaping Herod’s wrath. 

Powerful people would eventually destroy this baby just as they had destroyed the temple. But God could not be destroyed. God’s love was and is stronger than that, and God’s desire to dwell among the people was not deterred. God’s Spirit—the Spirit of Christ—was sent to dwell among the people, and this Spirit of Christ dwells with us still. The Spirit is present in our church. The Spirit is present in our lives. The Spirit is present wherever the wind blows, and wherever human life has breath. 

The Lord’s Supper is a reminder to us that the God who dwelt among his people in the tabernacle, in the temple, and in the baby born to Mary and Joseph, still dwells among us today. 

Christ is here. God is here. The Spirit is here, present, as close to us as our own breath. 

And it’s all because of how much God loves this world. It’s all because of how much God loves you. YOU are loved, more than you know. And you are welcome. To receive these gifts of God; and to know that God—Emmanuel—is with you.