24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“Waiting for God’s Presence”
Vicar McCall
Waiting. I am horrible about waiting. Especially when it comes to presents. I can remember Christmas’ past. We always had to make sure we had enough time to open presents before church. My parents tried to make us wait until after church. Can you imagine my agony. To know everything was sitting there at home under the tree. Waiting. Aware of the presence of my presents and I couldn’t get to them.
The same sort of thing is going on today in our Scripture. Back in Israel’s history. All the waiting for God to bring about salvation. Restore Israel and have His actual physical presence dwell among His people. Because God’s physical presence come to dwell among his people would mean ultimate salvation for them. Hebrews talks about how in the days of old God spoke to those waiting for Him. Assured them of His coming presence. His Savior. He told them about Jesus and His coming through the prophets.
But if I thought what I had to go through on Christmas morning was bad, what about God’s people? Slavery. Destruction. Thousands of years. Waiting for the gift of salvation. Waiting for God’s presence to come and dwell among His people. It was a present they knew they had coming. They can hear about it. They know it’s there. They get hints and clues. Like the great Exodus from Egypt, only greater. Better. Like the restoration of the temple. Only greater. Better. But there was still a lot of waiting for God to rescue His people. Rescue them ultimately. Finally. Once and for all. End all the waiting they had endured for so long.
Can you imagine that first Christmas morning? After all that time, the world’s waiting ended. God came to His people. Our waiting too was over on that first Christmas morning. We received the present of Jesus Christ. God’s presence come to earth. Salvation in the flesh. When God announced this salvation he spoke it through His son, Jesus Christ. He spoke and revealed Jesus, ending the wait for His people. Jesus, the exact imprint of God. His radiance and glory. All the things Hebrew’s tells us. Here He is. Here God is. The Word, made flesh. God’s salvation in the presence of this little bitty baby. God’s presence is our present.
Like the shepherds, you could hear the news from angels. Leave everything and run to Him. See the wonder of God before your very eyes. Just be in His presence. Like the wise men you could see him. Travel to his home and be able to physically worship and adore him. Give him gifts that you had been waiting to present to him for so long. Being able to actually take in and behold the greatest present of all. Salvation is here. God is here. No more waiting.
BUT THERE IS MORE! God’s presence is still with us. But there is still more. We still look forward to being in His actual physical presence once again. Our unchanging God, Jesus Christ. The same Jesus Christ born in a manger will come again for us. He will come and change all things. Make them all new through His unchanging love. Bring us into his presence one last time, once and for all. That final present. His presence, His salvation, dwelling and living in His mercy and glory forever and ever.
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