John's Epistle
 
God Is With Us
 
Emmanuel ... that is the name. We know Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, by many names, but it is this name that is on my mind right now. As with all Hebrew names, Emmanuel was the name given to Christ because it meant something: in this case, it means, "God is with us."
 
Clearly and simply, the name Emmanuel signifies to us that Jesus was and is what it means to have God with us in this material world. We can spend the rest of our lives thinking and talking about what that means, but we will never define it beyond debate. As Christians, what is equally, if not more, important is how that name changes us and the way we live.
 
For most of my life, I have heard people complain about "Sunday Christians," those people-have you ever noticed how it's always "those" people, rather than "we" people?-who practice their faith on Sundays, but act like everyone else the rest of the week. The fact is that it requires us to judge others in order to decide who are Sunday Christians and who are the real faithful. But there is a deeper issue in this question for me.
 
What I really find amusing is how any people of faith can think there is a part of their lives in which God is NOT present. One of the most basic assertions of faith in God is that God is omniscient-all knowing. A closely related theological statement is that God is omnipresent-everywhere, at all times. There is no place we can go, the Psalms tell us, in which God is not already there.
 
So how is it that we can suggest that God is only around when we want God to be around? As a pastor, I find this humorous assertion almost every time I golf. Almost invariably, when I golf with someone I do not know, the conversation finds its way to, "What do you do for a living?" When I reveal that I am a pastor, I can almost see the wheels spinning in their heads: "UH OH! What did I say that I shouldn't have said?" It's rather hilarious to me that people think they should act differently around me, as if God is somehow more present when I am.
 
Beginning Sunday, August 29, we'll be considering together what it means to have God present in every moment of our lives. Maybe you have already thought about this idea, but you're not sure exactly how it translates to a change in the way you live. That is exactly the thing we'll be discovering.
 
As our guide, we'll use a wonderful little book, "The Practice of the Presence of God," that has helped Christians discover how to know God's presence in their daily lives for over 300 years. Brother Lawrence, the subject of the book, was a brother in the Carmelite Order in Paris, France, who was known for his deep humility and his abiding knowledge of God's presence in every moment. As countless Christians have, we'll learn from Brother Lawrence, as he washes the dishes, mops the floors, and serves in the name of Christ, God with us.
 
You can pick up your copy of the book starting this Sunday, August 22. Suggested donation to underwrite the cost is just $4-about the cost of a Starbucks Frappacino, yet worth so much more. I'll see you for the journey!
 
Grace and peace,
Pastor John