The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Recently, I suggested that there were frequently two things involved in God's appearances in the Old Testament. He showed his glory here on this earth and he came to call his people back. In that podcast, I reflected on God's glory; today, I want to spend some time on the second element.

Imagine God and his angels sitting under the tree having lunch with Abraham. God had important stuff to do further on, but he took the time to linger with Abraham. Many of us cannot imagine God having such time for us; but consider Jesus drawing the little children to himself when his disciples tried to shoo them away. God has time for us. He is Immanuel.

John 1 is a complex chapter drawing in several Old Testament references. This might cause us to miss the main point, which, as Peterson paraphrases, is that God has moved into the neighbourhood. Why has he come? He has come to find the lost. He came to arrange for our adoption. He wants to be able to call us his children.

In Luke 15, Jesus paints three pictures of God on the hunt for us. In the first, he compares God to a shepherd who has lost one of his 100 sheep. He ends the story with this, "And when he (the shepherd) finds it (his sheep), he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep…I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:5-7).

So, if you are listening and don't follow Jesus, know that God is looking for you. He wants to find you and name you his child. He wants to give you a brand-new identity and a brand-new family, the church. Get in touch with us if you'd like to have a conversation about this.

Many of you who are listening have family and friends who do not follow Jesus. Our text has a word of encouragement for you. We wonder how on earth we are going to get them to follow God. Know this, God has his eye on them, he is out searching for your child, your spouse, your relative, your friend.

We try to figure out how to connect people to God. The thing is, God is better at arranging that connection than we are. When people find God, its usually not in the expected manner. God tends to surprise us in the way he finds his lost sheep.

Throughout the stories of Jesus birth, the gospel writers emphasize that Jesus came to save. So, let's have confidence that God can connect with people. We don't have to make it happen, rather let's pray that God will do his stuff and let's tell stories of God's love in our lives.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John 1:9-13).

As he begins his gospel, John draws together the story of creation and redemption – our story.

The very light through which the world had been made came into the world, but it did not recognize him. Jesus, born at Christmas, was there at the very beginning of all things with the Father and the Spirit as together, they formed this world. Creation.

We humans were created then too. The crown of the Creation, formed in the image of God to steward his rule on this Earth.

But we abandoned our royal heritage to strike out on our own, creating our own kingdom where we make the rules. We did not want to follow those set out by God. The fall.

John introduces the agent of Redemption. Again, Jesus is here, together with the Father and Spirit to do a creating work. This time creating a restoration, a redemption, a right to come home to the royal family as children of God once again.

This theme of homecoming as children of the royal family echoes all through the New Testament. Yet, it's rarely the way we think of ourselves.

Maybe we get distracted by other forms of our identity, loosing track of the most important one. We are busy being a "student" or "employee" or "employer." Being "attractive" or "successful." Being a "parent" or "friend" or any number of other things. We spend so much time with these identities that we forget who we truly are.

Underneath all these identities, there is one more durable than any of the ones we create for ourselves or are given. It's more permanent than even the identity of our own family and surname. Because unlike all these other identities we carry, our eternal identity did not come "through any human decision."

This identity was given us by God Himself. Our permanent identity is who Christ has made us: the children of God. Christian is the identity that counts in our lives. It is who we are. Royalty. Those who Belong. Those who will rule and reign with Christ. Never forget who we are in Christ. We are children of God, children of the King.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35).

Returning to the Old Testament, Exodus concludes with an important Immanuel moment. Israel has spent considerable time in the wilderness around Mount Sinai. God has spoken to his people, given his law, but also been very angry because they rebelled against him. God and Israel would have parted ways if Moses had not interceded for the people.

Yet, in the last scene of the book God comes to his people in glory, filling the tabernacle so full of himself that even Moses could not enter.

In this episode, we see the heart of what Immanuel means. God coming to his people. Many religions are concerned with how we as humans, can find the gods. And granted, many Christians live the same way. But our God finds us. "Where are you?" he asks.

It is important for us to pay attention to this. God comes to us. That is Immanuel.

That does not mean that we always experience God's nearness. For many reasons, God may seem distant. Even Jesus experienced that on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

These very real experiences of not feeling God's closeness, do not negate the profound truth of the Christian religion that God comes to us. That is at the heart of Immanuel. We don't need to search for God; he searches for us.

This story also portrays that God finding us presents us with a problem. We can't get near God. If God shows up, we can't survive. We can't see God and live as he once told Moses. There is always the problem of God's holiness, or is it the problem of our unholiness? Our sinfulness?

And thus, it is important to take time to explore Immanuel, God with us. We must keep digging into this theme that runs throughout the Bible. God searches for us because it is our sin that drives us away from him. More will be said about this later. For now, I want to leave you with two things.

First, Immanuel, God with us, is not a new theme in the New Testament. It wasn't something God came up with after a few unsuccessful ideas. It always was and still is his plan and desire to dwell among humanity.

Second, Jesus is not with us anymore! Does that matter? Well, yes it does. Jesus is not physically with us right now. He sent us His Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit he is spiritually with us. As he told his disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you" (John 14:14). The Holy Spirit's presence in us, makes Jesus as near to us as if he were here physically. So be not afraid. Wherever you go, your God is with you.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Deuteronomy 18:14-22. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In!

1. If you could know the absolute truth about one future event in your life, what would you want to know? Why or why not?
2. What is the strangest superstition or method of "predicting luck" you've ever heard of or seen? Do we ever treat prayer like a way to "twist God's arm" rather than a way to know Him?
3. Have we lost our sense of "healthy fear" or awe regarding God? If so, what should we do?
4. Does our culture have "false prophets"? (think about promises of happiness through money, politics, or self-help). How do we use Scripture to test those messages?
5. Practically speaking, what makes it hard for to listen to Jesus during a busy week? What is one specific noise or distraction you need to turn down this week to hear Him better?
6. For the next 24 hours, pay attention to the "voices" you listen to (podcasts, news, social media, friends). Ask yourself: Does this voice align with the Prophet Jesus, or is it trying to sell me a different version of the future?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

In The Message, we find this paraphrase,

"The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish."

In the Old Testament, there are stories of God visiting humans: Adam and Eve, Moses, Elijah. God came and he kept coming. Through the centuries, he appeared among his people. Two things were often part of those visits: his glory was revealed, and he called his people back to holiness.

These things come to fullness in the story of Christ's birth: Immanuel – God with us, come to save his people from their sins. Matthew tells it most plainly. Eugene Peterson writes concerning John 1, "the Word (that Creative and Powerful force by which the cosmos was formed and fashioned) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood."

Hebrews picks up these themes and spends considerable time punctuating the fact that Jesus is the final and grandest Word of God, THE Immanuel. He is God with us, forever. End of story! This is the glory and beauty Christ's arrival.

When we Christians talk about dwelling with God and seeing his glory, we often think about life after physical death. We like to say that when a Christian dies, she enters glory. This is alright after a fashion. However, it can cause us to miss one of the truths of Immanuel. What did John say, "we have beheld the glory of God." Jesus reveals the glory of God. And before he left his disciples, he promised to send them his Spirit.

Let me say this plainly, the Spirit connects us to God's glory, now, today. This is Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 3 which ends with, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (18).

Dwelling in the glory of God is not reserved for after death. It begins now. It's true that "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). So yes, there is a difference between then and now, but only one of decree.

Sometimes we see the glory in the gathering of God's people at worship; sometimes we see it in the face of a fellow Christian; sometimes we see it in someone that we serve or someone who serves us. But see it we do, if we have eyes to see. Look for him. Look for his glory.

Jesus is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is here with us now.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

Our Scripture is Exodus 3:7-8a

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians… (Exodus 3:7-8a).

When Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb, he discovered that "the Lord was not in the fire." Years earlier, Moses also traveled to Mount Horeb, and that's exactly where God was!

It was on Mt. Horeb, this mountain of God, that Moses encountered the burning bush—ever aflame, but never consumed. It's out of that bush, which stood in the wilderness, on a deserted desert mountain, that Moses first met the God of his ancestors.

God had been active in Moses' life, but there is no record of Moses paying any attention to him. He certainly had not experienced standing in God's presence. But now in the wilderness, Moses had his sandals off and his face hidden, because God had shown up!

But God was not there for Moses. He had come because of the misery and the suffering of his people. They were crying out to God, and he was concerned for them. He set out to rescue them from their slavery. God stopped Moses in his tracks because Moses was God's chosen agent to bring his people out of Egypt. Thus, God in the fire.

This story is echoed in Romans 8. When Paul writes that "we cry Abba, Father" he's echoing the cries of God's enslaved people in Egypt. And as Moses discovered in the desert: those are cries that God listens to; cries that he responds to when, like a good Father, he comes down and scoops us up in his arms to comfort us in our suffering.

Noticing Israel's suffering was not a chance moment for God. Jesus launches him ministry with these words, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Luke 4:18-19).

There is much suffering around us, locally and globally. Its easy for us to become immune to it. As such, we may think God becomes immune to it as well. But that would not be true. It is for the suffering ones that Jesus came and comes. We must cry out, "Abba, Father".

It's in wilderness places that God suddenly shows up in a burning bush to say: "I've seen the misery of my people and heard their cries, so I have come…" Jesus is present in our suffering even when we are not aware of it.

Paul takes this a step farther. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. As Jesus is present with us, he wants us to be present with other sufferers. Which sufferer will you approach?

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:13).

Advent is all about waiting, waiting for Immanuel, God with us. The final word on Immanuel is at the end of Revelation when God makes his home on earth with us. Before that scene, the Bible is littered with stories of God with his people. This Advent we will explore some of those.

One of my favourites is God's question to Elijah in his despair, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 19.

This comes just after Elijah's mountain top experience with God. He had challenged the priests of Baal to a "do or die contest" of the gods. Baal vs the Lord God of Israel. The Baal priests would build an altar to Baal and Elijah would build one for the Lord God. Which ever god sent fire to light their altar would win the contest.

God won in spectacular fashion! It was really no contest.

With all the priests of Baal killed, Queen Jezebel wants Elijah's head. Elijah flees in fear and despair.

He drops down, exhausted under a broom tree in the wilderness. He just wants to die. Many of God's people have felt the same. One of them was a great hymn writer, William Cowper. Check out his hymn, Oh for a Closer Walk with God. He regularly suffered from severe depression.

The thing in this story that always intrigues me is God's response to Elijah. He feeds him. Twice. This is not a prescription for curing depression. However, it does give us an image of God showing up in our discouragement.

Later, Isaiah would write this about God's chosen servant, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out" (Isaiah 42:3). Jesus was and is this servant. I wonder if Isaiah got the idea from God's interaction with Elijah? Its an image of Immanuel, God with us, which Jesus embraced.

Elijah then journeys to the mountain of God, where God appears to him in the whisper of the breeze, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" We may want to lash out at Elijah, "how could you be so discouraged after what God did on Mount Carmel?"

Of course, there may be some mild rebuke in God's question. But God is gentle with Elijah and sets him back on course. Elijah thinks he is all by himself, that he is done and God is done too. But God tells Elijah that he still has 7 000 in Israel who worship him alone. God was doing a lot more than what Elijah could see.

And then God gives Elijah more work to do. So often, we think our ability to do God's work is based on our performance. Its not. It's based on God's calling and equipping. Even though Elijah wondered off course, God still showed up. He was still Immanuel, God with us. Be encouraged.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Genesis 28:10-22. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. Take time to reflect on promises you made and promised you received. Do you expect them to be kept?
2. What does the name Jacob mean? How does this attitude show up in your life? Where do we find Jacob in our passage for today? Have you ever been in that place?
3. Write down some of God's amazing grace as revealed in this story.
4. What is the stairway about?
5. Jacob has a double response to his dream. How will you respond to God's promise, "I will be with you to the very end"?