Why Does Jesus’s Presence With Us Matter?

“No matter how popular we might be, none of us has ever experienced deep unity or authentic union with another.  Since the day that our forefather and mother were exiled in the garden of Eden, we’ve been lost, trying to get back in, trying to find oneness with each other and the Lord." Elyse Fitzpatrick, Found In Him

All of us know what it's like to feel alone, sometimes, even, when we're in a crowd of people we can feel that way.  We long for true unity and union. This is why Jesus’s presence with us matters.  We were made in the image of God.  We were made to live in unity with God and others, but without the love and work of Jesus Christ, his grace, we are lost.

Sometimes we are graced with glorious glimpses of what we were made for.  I think of a friend’s kind look of understanding, no words needed, and that beautiful connection, where I think, “that person gets me”.  We want to be known, but no person, not even the most loving spouse, can fill that need all of the time.

Why is it that certain movies, songs, paintings, books, a beautiful ballet, or other works of art can move us to tears?  Often times it’s because the creator has found a way to describe the way we feel.  We feel known, at least for a moment.

I like going to concerts at a large outdoor amphitheater near my hometown, at a place called, The Gorge.  It’s situated in the middle of nowhere, a desert landscape with breath taking views of the Columbia River and the Cascade foothills.   It seats nearly 28,000 people.  Listening to music with that many people, experiencing a kind of unity, a shared purpose, being part of something much bigger than myself, there are moments when it feels like magic.  It doesn’t last.  There’s also a lot that happens in that place, that’s far from honoring to God, but I believe the primary draw has more to do with something else....something we were made for. 

Those glimpses into something better, show us what we were made for.  Yet it seems, we always desire more.  

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.  -CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

We were chosen “in him” from the very beginning.  Ephesians 1:4 says,

“…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.”

God knew that sin would enter the world and that it would separate us from Him and what we were made for, so he made a way that we could come back to Him through his son Jesus.   It was always a part of the plan. The incarnation of Jesus, God, becoming a man, means that we have a way to be found again.  We are not lost. We can experience unity with God because Jesus has made a way for us.  He is with us and in us, when we accept what he has done for us, and we are in him.

Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her book, Found in Him, explains this as “a mystery that has no parallel in nature or our natural understanding.”  There is a necessity to approach this study of Jesus’s presence with us, with humility and trust.  She adds, “If you know who he is, it’s because he wants you to know him” 

If you know Jesus, you are not lost.  He has found you.  That makes me feel known and loved. I pray that it does for you, too. 

If you do not know Jesus, yet, he wants you to.  He loves you.  If you have any questions, you are always free to contact me. 

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