Presence Day 1: The Double-Meaning of Presence by Danny McKenzie

But you, my friends, must fortify yourselves in your most sacred faith. Continue to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, and look forward to the day when your Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy will give eternal life.
                                                                                                                          – Jude 1:20-21 (NEB)


There are two sides to this “presence” thing. Probably more than two, but we’ll go with that for now.

Without our presence at the many services and ministries within the church, our campus would become nothing more than empty buildings – a nostalgic and painful reminder of what was and of what could have been. Our very presence is what breathes life into our church while at the same time renewing our spirit and our strength.

In her book Amazing Grace: The Vocabulary of Faith, author and minister Kathleen Norris explained her transition from post-college church lethargy to a participatory faith that eventually led her to the pulpit.

“In retrospect,” Norris writes, “I can say that I joined the church out of basic need: I was becoming a Christian, and as the religion can’t be practiced alone, I needed to try to align myself with a community of faith.”

Then there is the presence of God in our lives. Or, as John Wesley put it, the “omnipresence.”

“We can only say the great God … is as unbounded in his presence as in his duration and power.” Wesley preached. “To our weak understanding He is said to dwell in heaven, but, strictly speaking, the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, but he is in every part of his dominion.”

All too often in our daily lives we fail to remember that, but when we pause and join with our church family we become more attuned to God’s presence in our lives. And to His love.

written by Danny McKenzie

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