November 29th

Daily Reading

Psalm 45:6-7

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.

Daniel 2:44

“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.

Luke 1:33

And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Hebrews 1:8-12

But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
    You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
    Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
    pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”

He also says to the Son,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
    and made the heavens with your hands.
They will perish, but you remain forever.
    They will wear out like old clothing.
You will fold them up like a cloak
    and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
    you will live forever.”

Isaiah 7:14

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Matt 1:23

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

(Readings taken from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/ New Living Translation)

God dwells with Us

If we read the paper, or check our social platforms, tune in to the conversations around us, it can feel like our world is in a state of melt down. Systems are anxious. People are tired. Our coping strategies are worn and fatigued. 

War. Famine. Disease. Mandates.

Neighbour in conflict with neighbour.

Whole countries shaken by corrupt, selfish, evil governments.

The kingdoms of the world promise much: but deliver little. 

But this is not a new predicament, it is the witness of the world. A fallen system, full of broken, hurting and discontent people. King David declares in poetry written approximately 1000 B.C that “the nations are in an uproar…kingdoms crumble!”  (Psalm 46:6 +7) This was our mess. The consequence of our sin.

God had no obligation to fix what humanity broke.

Yet He did. It is the extravagant story of Christmas. A God like no other. Not a god who plays with humans from a distance. It is not like the stories of Zeus or Apollo or Poseidon - gods who used man for their sport. The God of the Jews, seeing our crumbling kingdoms, puts on flesh and enters the mess. 

Immanuel. God with us. 

“The Almighty is here.” (Psalm 46:7)

 It is staggering. He doesn’t come as a King. Powerful and protected. But in the most humble of ways. Laying down all his authority to become a babe. Baby Jesus is more than a character in a Christmas song: He is our hope. He is the promise of a new Kingdom. A new King.

 He is eternal and He is with us.