Emmanuel:  God with us

God with us amongst the ‘pots and pans'

and in the disappointments and joys of our lives

How can we find the language to do justice to the concept of God?  By and large we can't.  We can't find the right language because God is larger, in every sense of the word, than we can imagine.  If we could find language, God would become only the size of our human minds, and God could never be constrained by that.  Ultimately, God is mystery; the depth, height and magnitude of His love is mystery beyond anything we can understand.  Occasionally in our earthly lives we glimpse this enormous love working its purpose out; in, for instance, the love we feel for a partner, in a beautiful view, in unwarranted acts of kindness, at the birth of our children and grandchildren and in acts of worship.

Here we are at Christmastime.  I can hear again many voices saying: "Let's slip into the darkened church and listen to those beautiful carols; let's allow the ‘hopes and fears of all the years' to be smoothed away by memories of our Christian heritage."    Those voices continue: "Our Christian heritage and tradition just seem so far from where we are now.... Does it have any relevance to us in our daily lives?"

At a point in history some 2000 years ago God, while still existing as Himself, formed this love into the shape of a human.  The story is so familiar to us: Mary and Joseph travelling on a donkey, the stable, the frightening angels, the joyful shepherds and the devout wise men with their gifts.   This God lived as a human, came to earth as a baby in straitened circumstances - not as a king or warrior and thus powerful in human terms.  This is one of the paradoxes of Christian living: why didn't God use ‘the best' for his mission; why did he give his great idea such a ‘half-baked' start?  

Our God is both a loving mystery and a helpless baby complete with dirty nappies and teething.   These elements of the nature of God are so hard to bring together.  If we concentrate overly much on the concept of an unknowable but loving God, we are inclined to feel He is distant and out of touch.  On the other hand, if we see Him us too earthbound we can't look to Him in hope and for guidance and in worship.   The truth is that God is all these things and many more; He is within every aspect of our lives and can understand every aspect.  However, it is our choice; constant questioning will lead to disappointment and much fruitless searching.  Let God be God.  Rest in Him.  Accept Him.  And if you can't find Him, pray that He will find you.  

My prayer for you is that you do feel the loving presence of God this Christmas, whether you are singing in heavenly choirs, changing babies' nappies or working among the pots and pans.   Emmanuel: God with us.