Christmas Presence


Presence is powerful. 

I'm with family in Virginia this Christmas morning. I've called NY home for the past 23 years. From NY I make phone calls to my family throughout the year. I send a lot of text messages. Sometimes I email something, or send a Facebook message (No random forwards though. If you forward things that say, "send this to 10 people," I talk bad about you behind your back). I even mail a card from time to time. We interact through social media, and even FaceTime across the miles. None of those things compare to being with someone.

Presence is powerful.

I have a 4 year old cousin named Benjamin who has Down syndrome. He's the cutest, happiest little fellow around. I'm an early riser, and when I'm visiting his home he generally gets up with me. We hung out for a while this morning laughing at just about everything. I see his pictures throughout the year online. I see little videos of him his Dad and older sisters post. But for the last few minutes he and I have been hooking clothespins to things and then hurling them through the air. Trust me, it's great fun. (As long as your Mom is still asleep). I have to be here to experience this.

Presence is powerful.

It's not the presents that make Christmas special. It's the presence. It's being together with family and friends in this season. It's showing up at grandma's house even if your family is a little quirky. It's, "telling tales of the stories of Christmases long long ago." It's eating too much and laughing and singing. The God who created us completely understands the power of presence. So Immanuel, God with us, came to earth. The creator became part of his creation.

The manger of Christmas reminds us that God came to be in our presence. Before Jesus went back to Heaven he spoke these words;

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20.

Presence is powerful. 

Well, Benjamin is climbing on me as I type this which is a clear indication that more clothespins need to be thrown. I hope you get to enjoy time with your family in this season as well, and above all never forget that Jesus is always with you. 

"I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you[assuredly not]!” Hebrews 13:5 AMP

Presence is powerful.

 Following the Son,
James A Williams

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It’s My Turn To Be The Pop

Image
“ Children's children are a crown.” Proverbs 17:6 One year ago today my phone rang. I was looking forward to this call. “Hey, Dad. How are you?” “I’m alright.” (Standard response) He wasn’t alright. The cancer, chemo, and treatments had taken such a toll on him. This was Josiah’s birthday though. His first birthday. My Dad always called everyone in the family on their birthday and sang to them. He never missed anyone’s. It wasn’t pretty, and became a comical family joke yet we all looked forward to it.  I called for my son, Nathaniel, who brought his son, Josiah, over to the phone. I held the phone to Josiah’s ear and Nathaniel and I pressed in as we all listened to Dad sing. His voice was raspy and labored. Josiah’s eyes danced. Nathaniel and I smiled and laughed. Tears filled my eyes. He couldn’t stay on the phone long. He tired quickly and speaking was difficult. Josiah’s first time hearing his great grandfather sing Happy Birthday would also be his la...
Read more

What’s In Your Cart?

Image
On this day in 1939, Sylvan Goldman who owned the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain got an idea. He was trying to think of a way for his customers to transport more groceries around his stores. He attached 4 wheels to the legs of a wooden folding chair, and then attached a basket to the seat. The shopping cart was born.  Before this shopping trips to the Humpty Dumpty or the Piggly Wiggly would be limited to what you could carry in your arms. I wonder if Sylvan’s original patent stated that one of the wheels was to either not spin or rapidly shake back and forth? It’s possible that this is some modern improvement on his original design. However it happened the carts keep getting bigger. When I bring my groceries to the check out counter I sometimes use the self check out. I don’t like the self checkout because the computer keeps telling me I put things in the bagging area when I didn’t. When I get a real person they will often ask this profound question. “Did you find ev...
Read more

Get The Rebound

Image
If you've ever played or watched basketball you know that rebounding is a huge part of the game. If you're unfamiliar with the sport rebounding is quite simply getting the ball when a shot is missed. You can't score without the ball which makes the play of great importance. It's not unusual for a team with a higher shooting percentage to lose a basketball game because they were out rebounded. On the court what you do when you miss can be even more important than making shots. It's true in life as well. Everyone misses shots, but that doesn't mean you've lost the game. Get the rebound. "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." Proverbs 24:16. People won't always give you the chance to rise again. For some your shortcoming is how they'll label you forever. Get the rebound anyway.  It was the historian Froude who wrote, "The worth of a man must be measured by his life, not by his failure under a singular a...
Read more