The Miracle of God with Us

When God created the Garden of Eden and placed people in it, there was an intention that he would be present with them in a way that allowed for a tangible relationship. In fact, you can make a pretty good argument that he intended for man to participate with him hand-in-hand in the task of transforming the rest of the Earth into Eden.  So strong was his intention to be concretely present with them that they were actually physically able to hear him walking in the garden in the cool of the morning (Genesis 3:8). But Adam and Eve sinned, and their ability to commune with God in tangible ways was shattered. No longer would people hear the footsteps of God in the cool of the morning in an Edenic world they were maintaining and helping to build. Instead, they would be separated from his presence, his sounds, the sight of him, and the delights of face-to-face interaction with him in the midst of pleasurable work they were designed to do. Direct access to his wisdom would be limited to only a special few, and even then, completely subject to his plans and purposes for humanity at any given moment. 

Thank God, this separation was not irreversible.  The goodness of God brought reconciliation through the birth of a child.  This miracle was first and most clearly prophesied through a human servant in Isaiah 7:14, and then again by angels in Matthew 1:20-23. In those passages the Messiah, Jesus, is called Immanuel, which means God with us.  It is difficult to verbalize just how weighty, profound, serious and deep that prophecy is because there simply aren’t any human adjectives good enough to capture the fullness of its meaning. But part of it’s meaning is crystal clear, and that is that when Jesus was walking in the midst of the disciples, they were walking and working with God himself (John 14:8-9).  And they were doing it in some sense to re-establish an Edenic world on Earth in which man and God can commune and work together (Matthew 28:19-20). But it also meant that God is with us and not against us (Romans 8:31-39). His intention is for our salvation, our transformation, and our good relations. 

Although he is not walking with us in bodily form right now, he is walking through the bodies of those of us who have been saved and are being transformed.  This, in itself, is an unfathomable miracle.  But one day, God will walk with us and among us again.  We will dine with him, speak with him, and enjoy him face-to-face as we live and work together (Matthew 26:29). Immanuel will be realized for us again, not in a fallen world needing salvation, but in an Edenic world where Heaven and Earth meet in harmony and agreement.  Merry Christmas.