Have you ever met someone where you feel like they just kind of stand just a little bit too close to you and then you kind of take a step back just a little bit, just to give it a little bit more distance? And then you notice that they take a step toward you. They can be very nice. Of course, perhaps they just have a different kind of spatial orientation. But it can be a little awkward, can't it? Because we like our distance, right? We like our distance.

When we hear in Holy Scripture about the presence of God, we can be tempted to want to want to keep our distance. We want to keep God at more than an arm's length away with regard to our thoughts and our priorities and our plans and our beliefs. We want to keep him away. That's the sin in us that gets expressed. Thanks be to God that through the Lord Jesus Christ, all of our sin has been forgiven, including the sin of wanting to keep God at times at an arms distance.

You see the promise of God's presence. The promise of God's presence is something for us to embrace. Jesus said in Matthew, the 28th chapter and the Great Commission, he said, "go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And then he says, and lo, I'm with you always to the close of the age." And do we realize how close that presence is?

Look with me, please. at Galatians, the second chapter. The halfway through verse 19. Paul writing out of the inspiration of the Spirit, "I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." What beautiful, beautiful words these are. And when he says, "it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." He is alive in us through baptism. That's Emmanuel. God with us close. How wonderful. 

Gracious God, we give you thanks for this time in your Word. Your Word is truth. And Lord, we give you thanks that you are with us, that through the waters of baptism you are alive in us. We praise you today for your presence. We give you thanks in Jesus name. Amen.

May God bless you today. Encourage someone.

Pastor Eibel