Christmas is upon us, and Advent is drawing to a close.  And as we finish up Colossians chapter 1 by looking at verses 24-29, there is this sense that the wait is finally coming to an end.  Christmas Day is almost here.  But our wait for Christ to come is obviously different from the wait that Mary and Joseph endured so long ago.  Now, we know that Christ has come, and that He is with us.  But as we look around at our experience, it can often feel like He’s not here.  We don’t see Him.  We sin all the time.  The world seems to be a frightful place where disease, war, rumors of wars, natural disasters, and social upheaval seem to be the norm.  Where is Jesus in all this?  Where can I look now to see Him?

And this issue of visible presence, or lack thereof, has been around since Jesus ascended into heaven.  We’re an embodied, physical people, and we like to see things for ourselves.  But as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, we walk by faith, not by sight.  And yet, here in Colossians 1, Paul points to a way in which we can see Jesus with our own eyes.  Paul points to the way that Emmanuel endures physically even now.

As we prepare for our time of worship this coming Christmas morning, it is right and good to be with our church family.  Because Jesus is the reason for the season, and we need to see Him, not just in the words on the page, but also in our union with Him.  Meditate upon the reality that when we look at our flawed, sinful, and sometimes infuriating brothers and sisters in Christ, we still catch a glimpse of Jesus working grace upon grace to conform us to His image.  And as we do so, we will realize that Christmas is here to stay.  So thank you for showing me Jesus over the years.  Merry Christmas.  See you Sunday at worship.