Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It doesn’t matter how far advanced our technology becomes. Nothing will ever replace the gold standard of being able to talk with someone face to face. Don’t get me wrong, being able to pick up the phone and call anyone at anytime is helpful. Yet, there’s always something missing when we do. And don’t get me started at how much social media has created a vacuum of true friendships. When we gut relationships of the bonds that hold them together, all we have is a glass house, cracked and waiting to fall.

In the church, we often call this phenomenon the “ministry of presence”. Simply sitting in a room with someone can offer more consolation than words may ever give. Being present with someone who is hurting speaks volumes to one’s willingness to help and their care. Instead of just relying on these alternative communication methods, we take the time to go and be with someone, face to face. 

In this last week of Advent, this is the great message we have to proclaim. Our Lord comes! Jesus comes to be with us, face to face. As we read about Mary going to visit her relative, Elizabeth, our Lord’s ministry of presence can already be felt. “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb,” Luke 1:41. The child in Elizabeth’s womb is the first to react to our Lord’s presence. Our Lord has already become incarnate in the womb of Mary and this makes John leap for joy!

All Advent is about this moment. It’s about our Lord being our Immanuel, God with us. Jesus comes to minister to us with his presence because we struggle with the weight of sin in this world. We’re the ones who are hurting and needing comfort. We’re the ones suffering the evil that befalls us. No long-distance relationship will do now. This is why we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Come and help us. Come and be with us that you may lift the weight off our shoulders by your gracious visitation.

Nothing can compare with talking to someone face to face. This is why Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Even as Elizabeth says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:42-43. Elizabeth recognizes, through the child in her womb, that Mary’s child is the Lord. She recognizes this amazing fact that the Lord has come. He’s come to be with us, to grant us grace and mercy to strengthen us. Even as we celebrate this Christmas, our Lord takes upon himself our flesh to join us in this perilous journey. Yet, by his grace and mercy, our Lord comes to lift the weight of our sins from us by going to the cross. By Jesus’ birth, he ministers to us with his presence. By his death, he frees us from sin and death. And by his coming again, he promises to be our Immanuel both now and forevermore!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!