Good morning…
In a constant state of amazing love, the vulnerable baby Jesus was born to be beside us. God, in human skin, was born to be beside us as we journey throughout this treacherous life.
On Christmas Eve at Northside Church, as I served during the final two worship services, I was asked personally to pray for four different tragedies bonding our community.
- A head on collision caused by a now deceased drunk driver and a long process of healing for a young daughter through a series of painful surgeries. Jesus was born to be beside us in “even this.”
- A complicated birth and an unexpected death. Jesus was born to be beside us in “even this.”
- A loving family’s heart-wrenching decision to place their husband and father in assisted living after years of significant decline. Jesus was born to be beside us in “even this.”
- Grieving the loss of a trusted mentor-to-many, after he suffered a deadly heart attack while walking his dog. Jesus was born to be beside us in “even this.”
Now I am drawn back to the wisdom of Sue Monk Kidd in God’s Joyful Surprise. On page 147 Sue writes: “My eyes fluttered closed as I sank back into a hot and wavy blackness. ‘Nothing can separate us…’ The words repeated in my head again and again, filling me with peace. God dwelled in the thick darkness with me. The underpinnings of my journey anchored me in the storm. What I learned was this. The journey into God’s love helps us move into the future with a new assurance – all will be well, no matter what.”
Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39, ERV).
Amid all of the tremendous tragedies we face along our journey, from life through death and into eternal life with God, Jesus was born to be beside us.
…Sue…
