Unwrapped: The Gift of Presence

The Gift of Presence – Matthew 1: 18-25

            Today we continue our Advent journey by unwrapping another unique gift of Christmas, but before we do, I want to tell you a little about next week. Next Sunday, which of course is the final Sunday of 2019, will be a different kind of service. As we turn the page to a new year, I think it’s important that we take a step back and remind ourselves why we do what we do as the church. So next week we’re going to host a Wesley Covenant Service. This will be an opportunity to remember the covenant we’ve made with God- that God will be our God and we will be God’s people- and to recommit ourselves to that life-giving relationship. In your bulletins, you’ll find the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. It would be a good idea to spend some time this week looking over that prayer, reading it thoughtfully and intentionally, so that you’re fully prepared to say “yes” to Jesus again. 

            

Ok, so during this Advent season, we’ve been preparing for Christmas by looking at some of the many gifts made possible by Jesus. We’ve celebrated the gifts of reconciliation and freedom and new Kingdom vision that Jesus inspires. Today we’re going to explore a gift that just might top them all- the gift of God’s presence. Would you read with me? 

            Tammy was a middle-aged mother of two who was growing tired of a life that felt like one big disappointment after another. Her husband had walked out on her, her church had given up on her, and now her landlord had kicked her out of her home. By the time we met, Tammy had pretty much hit rock bottom. She and her children were homeless, and she was an emotional wreck. She was angry, disgruntled, and frustrated at anyone and everyone- especially God. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen to people like Tammy, but they did. And whatever faith she had left had fizzled out. It was clear, at least to Tammy, that God was no longer a part of her story. 

            In the months leading up to our first encounter, our church had been preparing for people just like Tammy. Along with several other local churches, we were ready to launch a ministry to homeless families. These families would stay at the church for a week, and we would help them get back on their feet. We would prepare and eat meals with them around the table; we’d help them out with transportation and basic skills to help them navigate a tough world. But mostly, we would simply walk with them and be with them throughout that week, serving as a tangible sign that they were not alone. Tammy and her family were our first guests. 

            When Tammy came into our ministry, she was skeptical, and rightfully so. She had been burned one too many times, especially by the church, and those painful experiences had distorted her view of God. But something happened during Tammy’s time with us- God began to enter her story again. It happened one night when her young son, who happened to catch a glimpse of a Bible, asked one of our volunteers to read with him. And so they did. They read story after story, and eventually, our volunteer went out and bought this young man a Bible of his own. Tammy and her family left us after that week, but a year later, we received a letter that brought us so much joy. Tammy had rediscovered her relationship with Jesus, the family was back attending church, and her young son had gotten in trouble for handing out Gospel tracts on the school bus! And it all happened because Tammy was able to look beyond her situation to see the presence of a loving God.

            I stumbled upon this story this week as I was preparing for this sermon- and I’m glad I did. I wasn’t quite sure what direction to take for this week, but God led me to this old letter tucked away in one of my office boxes. Re-reading Tammy’s story was a powerful reminder that sometimes it feels as if we’ve been abandoned and forgotten- not just by those close to us, but by God himself. I’ve never been in Tammy’s situation, but I’ve certainly had my share of personal moments. We’ve all had them. Moments when our world is turned upside down and we’re suddenly thrust into what feels like uncontrollable chaos. Moments when we lose sight of God’s goodness and God’s presence. That’s what makes this story in Matthew so important. 

            Of all the characters in the Christmas story, Joseph is the one we know the least about. Unlike his soon-to-be-wife Mary, Joseph never utters a word in any of the Scriptures, but his actions tell us all we need to know. In many ways, Joseph’s story is a one-of-a-kind story, but in other ways, his experience might hit a little too close to home. He’s the picture of faithful man who finds himself in an unexpected predicament. He comes home one night and discovers that his wife is pregnant—and he wasn’t the father. That must have been an painful discovery for Joseph. He didn’t ask for this to happen. He didn’t want for this to happen. But it happened, and when it did, I imagine Joseph must have felt like he was living under a microscope, like all eyes were on him. And that can be a very dangerous place to live. 

            It’s uncomfortable when we stumble into situations that feel embarrassing and shameful. From the beginning of creation, it’s clear that we’ll try just about anything to overcome our shame and make the problem, whatever it is, go away. Adam and Eve hunkered down behind the bush, hoping their nakedness would somehow go unnoticed by God. They knew they had done something terribly wrong, and they hoped no one would notice. When his parents favored his brother’s gift differently than his own, Cain took matters into his own hands and killed his brother. Even Tammy struggled to come to grips with her circumstances. She pushed God away, ran from her church and tried all sorts of ways to make her situation go away. And what’s Joseph do? He tries to control what’s left of his mess. 

            The Scriptures tell us that Joseph hatches a plan. It’s not like some of the plans we’d probably hear about today. He could’ve started a nasty rumor to get the whole town talking; he could’ve asked the elders of the community to gather up their stones; he could’ve hired the best attorney to leave nothing to chance. But instead, he decided to quietly end his relationship with Mary, save her from public embarrassment, and make the best of the rest of his life. It was an honorable plan, really. It was a plan full of good intentions. But it wasn’t God’s plan. Because as soon as Joseph sets out to control his chaos, he hears these words: Do not be afraid. Those words always seem to appear when God is up to something creative and new. And this time, the thing God is up to will change the world because God himself is entering into it. 

            We often assume that God is present during times of smooth sailing, when the plans of life are working out just like we thought they would, but the testimony of Scripture tells us something else. The testimony of Scripture tells us that some of God’s best work might actually occur during the messiest of times, times that are often beyond our control. And that’s Joseph’s story. Joseph learns that can’t control the cards he’s been dealt, nor can he even pretend to control them, but he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to figure out the future or come up with solutions to every problem. He just needs to know that God is with him. And God will always be with him. And that’s clarity, that confidence, is enough for Joseph to keep walking forward in faith. I like to think that’s what happened with Tammy during her time with us. I like to think that love got ahold of her in her lowest of lows, and she saw God’s presence with her. Not from a distance, but with her.

You see, the gift of Christmas is God Himself, choosing to be with us. That’s what Emmanuel means. It’s the promise that God breaks through the heavens and enters our world. Through Jesus, God wonderfully enters our a messy, chaotic, sin-sick world and opens up the doors of redemption to all. He came, as Philippians reminds, to “empty himself,” to “be born in human likeness.” And he would take this humanity, all of it, the good and the bad, the surprising and the shocking, to the cross. And in doing so, Jesus would show the world that God doesn’t shy away from the painful or untouchable. Jesus shows the world that God will enter the profane, God will touch the untouchable, and God will mingle with the broken. All for the singular purpose of drawing the world back to its first love. 

Tradition has it that on his deathbed, the father of Methodism, John Wesley, shared an intimate moment with those closest to him. It should’ve been a somber moment- I mean, death was about ready to rob the world of one of the most significant Christian leaders of all time- but that’s not how the scene was characterized. Instead, with his strength all but gone, Wesley grabbed the hands of his friends and family and uttered these words in the face of death: The best of all is that God is with us. 

The best gift of all is that God is with us. When the phone calls come, God is with you. When the news is reported, God is with you. When your strength is sapped, God is with you. And when you’re at your wits’ end, God will be right there at your side. So don’t be afraid to keep moving forward, friends. Don’t be afraid to hold on to these promises of our faith, even when life takes an unexpected turn, especially when life takes an unexpected turn. Because the reality is, life will occasionally take an unexpected turn. Curveballs will be thrown. Detours will occur. And sometimes things will get out of our control. But none of these mean that God has forgotten you. None of these mean God has rejected you. In fact, it’s in the very midst of these circumstances where God’s presence might be closer than you think. And God isn’t going anywhere. My prayer for you this Christmas is that you will keep on opening this gift of God’s presence, no matter what life may look like. And every time you do, I pray that you’ll rediscover the power and love and mercy and grace of the one named Emmanuel. Let us pray.