Christmas Presence

The older I get, the more I realize that the best gifts are not presents but presence.  I kind of think that's how God feels too, and that is why we have Christmas.  Not the invention of a season of warm-fuzzy-feelings, but the memorialized event.  God came to be with us--Immanuel.  And He died so we could be with Him--not just in Heaven, but even now.

I could probably start throwing around some great theological quotes and big words right now, but the beauty of the Gospel, and even the Christmas story, is its simplicity and its personal relevance.  So instead, here are a few little ways God has been showing up to remind me that He is still with me.

This morning I was talking to Jesus about how it would be really nice to be reminded of His presence and His love. I had just read a story about a guy who had an angel help him get into the hospital, and I guess that's what started it.  I wanted God to show up in a tangible way in my life somehow, maybe even an angel.

I didn't get an angel, but God did give me two gifts of His presence today.  First, He gave me this:

To some, that might look really boring.  It's the simple horizon of sea and sky, and it always reminds me of the felt-board in Sabbath school.  It was like the default scene, before creation--sea and sky.  Sometimes that view can make me feel lonely and restless.  A few times I felt like that on various islands--the isolation and distance between me and home.  But other times, like today, it felt like Home.  It was the reminder that there is always more beyond that horizon that I do not see--hope.  There is no boundary to His love and His plans for me. I can rest in that mystery because He has been faithful in my life so far as I've learned to trust Him.  As I let this view sink in and envelop me this afternoon, my soul became quiet and still.  And I thanked God for showing up.

Then I saw this on one of the memorial benches on the boardwalk:

It struck me, because my name is Andrea Lynette Keele, and my mom's maiden name is Rowe.  It was close enough to make me look twice.  When I read the quote, at first I thought this must have been this lady's favorite thing to say before she died.  But later I realized, perhaps she was still alive, and someone did this to honor her and remind her that she was loved--a message just for her.  And that's when I felt God's message just for me: "Have I told you lately that I love you, Andrea?"

I think He has, but I'm not always listening. Today, though, I was so thankful that He spoke my language in the context of my day, in the context of my life, so that I could understand His messages of love for me.  God is really good at that.  He has been doing it a really long time, and Christmas is the best reminder.