Presence

This morning I will be working from home. Week four of a nasty bug has finally quarantined me. Week one was body aches and weariness. Week two was down and out, missing work and zoning out on the couch. Week three was sinus and sore throat. Week four is lungs. Fa la la la la. I finally succumbed to visiting the doctor, and was well lectured. Stop. Rest. Or else.

And so after a chest xray yesterday I stopped in at work just long enough to gather information for a day at home at my computer. I had already missed two and a half days of work this week again, so it is necessary for me to get a few things done and clock a few hours. Tomorrow will be spent in the car for a one hour far away meeting, so that is a stress free way to put in nine hours. Today I will listen to Christmas music and do a lot of computer input, updating all my client files. Sounds dull, but it will be a great relief to be caught up.

And so...I am present. I am sipping coffee and spending some leisurely time with my Savior, the star of the Christmas show. Such luxury.

When Jake appeared I asked him if he'd like a hot breakfast, knowing that he would light up and request chocolate chip pancakes. Presence. Although I'm almost always here until he leaves for the bus, I'm not always "present." Today I brought my coffee to the table and read from our Advent reading while he savored his favorite treat.

Immanuel: Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season by Ann Spangler is my new advent devotional for the year. I love advent. The advent candle on the kitchen table that must be at least 15 years old. Tradition.

Today we read of my second favorite name for God, "Immanuel." Technically it is a name for Jesus, foretold twice in the Old Testament and mentioned once in the New.

Isaiah 7:13-14 (NASB95)
13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 8:8 (NASB95)
8 “Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.

Matthew 1:22-23 (NASB95)
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

The author's words are so beautiful and succinct, let me quote her here:

One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated "with us is God" or, as Matthew's Gospel puts it, "God with us." When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin's disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God's love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel - he is still "God with us."

Presence. God's presence. He brings much more than chocolate chip pancakes to our table, for He is the Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. Meditate on those titles and that reality for a period of time, and you might more fully appreciate that He is Immanuel. God with us. God with us as we prepare to celebrate His birth, as we recuperate, as we type on the computer. God with us at our breakfast table, as we drive about, as we hustle and bustle.

God with us.