God is Close
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…’
John 1:14
God seems a long way off to most people. You might even sometimes find yourself thinking that.
But God has never wanted to be a long way off.
From afternoon walks in the Garden of Eden and His visible presence in the Tabernacle in the midst of Israel’s camp in the wilderness, to Jesus, the Son of God, becoming a human being, to the final earthly words of Jesus (Matthew 28:20) and the final words in Revelation, God has consistently sought to be with His people, and not just with them but actually in their midst.
It’s a picture of intimacy, a picture of relationship, and stands at the very heart of what heaven is all about (Revelation 21:3,4; 22:3-5). Sin has separated humanity from God but even our sin has not stopped God’s missional character. If anything, as God’s history of reaching out and redeeming love shows, our sin has made God’s missional character all the more imperative.
God had every reason to separate Himself from our world but because of the kind of God He is, He has always sought to come right into our lives.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The eternal Son of God took on our full humanity. He became everything we were, except for our sin – and all to bring us back to God, so God could live in our midst.
God is not far away. He’s right here. His heart has always been not just to be for His people but with them too.
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