Read: Matthew 28:16-20
I am with you always. (v. 20)
Christmas has come and gone, and the new year is here. If you live in Michigan like I do, this means cloudy, cold, dismal days, as winter fully takes hold. This season can feel dark and lonely, but the good news we celebrated at Christmas doesn’t depend on the season or our feelings. God became flesh. As Eugene Petersen puts it, God “moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 The Message). Our Immanuel, “God with us,” is here (Matt. 1:23)! And he will never leave us!
As believers in Jesus, we are never alone. When the risen Christ was about to ascend to heaven and return to his Father, he told his disciples, “I am with you always” (v. 20). Earlier, he promised he would send the Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever; he would not leave them as orphans (John 14:16-18); and he would never leave nor forsake them (Heb. 13:5). However, when the disciples witnessed Jesus’s departure from this world, they were faced with the challenge of believing these promises, and so are we. When life circumstances are hard, and his presence seems absent, we have to hold on to faith that Jesus really is with us.
In this series, we will observe Jesus’s actions, words, and presence throughout the gospel accounts. We will see him heal the sick, comfort the grieving, and assure the fearful. We will watch him grieve, forgive, face his own death, and express his own emotions. As Scripture repeatedly tells us, we also will be reminded in this series that Jesus is always with us!
As you pray, remember and believe Jesus is with you!
Nancy Boote, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America, lives in Holland, Michigan, with her husband. She serves in a variety of leadership positions within the denomination. Besides being a wife, mother, and grandmother, Nancy enjoys taking prayer walks, hiking in nature, mentoring, and has a heart for justice matters.
