Have you ever thought that God feels distant, or far away from you? Many of us, at various points in our lives, have felt like this. Sometimes we feel so connected to Him, and other times, we feel so far apart. The truth that the Advent season reminds us of is, we don’t have to reach him, he comes to us. We don’t have to fear anymore.

         We celebrate Advent this month, because the Lord our God has come. He came here 2000 years ago, and we look forward to the day when he will return. He is not a long way off. He is not far away and distant. He is not difficult to find even though some of us might think so.    

         We know him as “Emmanuel, God with us.”  John 1 tells us that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” And even though Jesus is not physically with us now, he is here amongst us by his Spirit whom he sent. He inhabits us every time we gather as the Church. And remember what he said at the end of Matthew 28: “…and behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

         God is with us. God is with you! He came to save us, right here, right now.  The God of the universe has come near to us in Christ Jesus - in our midst, in our present. We have no reason to fear! 

         你曾否有過這樣的想法，覺得神是那麼遙不可及，跟我相離甚遠？有許多人，在人生的不同階段，都曾經有過這樣的感受。有時候我們覺得自己與神是如此相近，彼此連結着，但有些時候我們卻覺得與神相離甚遠。將臨節提醒我們一個事實，就是我們無須去尋找祂，祂已經來到我們當中。我們再無須有任何害怕或恐懼。

         我們今天慶祝將臨節，是因為我們的主、我們的神已經來臨。祂二千年前已經來臨，我們更期盼祂會再來的一天。祂並不是與我們遙不可及，與我們相離甚遠，又或如有些人所想的很難被尋見。

         我們所認識的神是 “以馬內利，神與我們同在。” 約翰福音第一章記載「道成了肉身，住在我們中間…」。緃使耶穌並不是有形有體般與我們在一起，但藉着祂所差派的聖靈卻與我們同在。每次當我們在教會聚集的時候祂就居住在我們中間。讓我們記起神在馬太福音第28章裡所說：「…我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。」

         神與我們同在，祂現在就與我們在一起。神也與你同在！祂就在此時此地來拯救我們。創造宇宙萬物的神藉着主耶穌基督來與我們親近- 這一刻就在我們當中。我們沒有理由再活在恐懼當中 !