Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB)

Jesus is not to us as Christmas is to the world, here today and gone tomorrow. (Rick Mylander in “Covenant Companion” (Dec. 1988). Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 18.)

    That’s the way it is with so many things. Here today, gone tomorrow. It’s a proverb that aptly fits much of what we experience in the world. Material things last only for a while, then they fall apart, tarnish, or somehow become ruined. Even people, and our relationships with them seem not to last. Too many friendships end simply because we move to another place to live, or we graduate from school, or our job changes. People we thought would be part of our lives forever are here today, gone tomorrow. It’s certainly like that with holidays like Christmas. The prelude now begins around Halloween, but on December 26th, about the only evidence of Christmas in many places are the post-holiday sales meant to get rid of all the left-over stock. We all go back to work, we throw the tree into the recycle bin, pack away the decorations. It’s here today, gone tomorrow.

    Thankfully, Jesus isn’t like that at all. We usually read the verses from Matthew’s gospel because of the mission is gives to the disciples of Jesus. Personally, I like the very! last statement: “I am with you always...” The truth is that Jesus isn’t just here today and gone tomorrow. He’s here today. Put a period right there.

“I am with you always...”

    Why is that so important? Simply because we need him. Every day. The truth is that our spiritual needs are not satisfied by one encounter with Jesus. That’s not the way we’re constructed. We have an inherent weakness that scripture refers to as the “flesh.” Because of it, we are weak, and though we can grow stronger, we cannot do so without a daily connection to Jesus.

    Consider the words of the writer of Hebrews:

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who as been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16, NASB)

    There is the reason it’s good for us that Jesus isn’t here today, gone tomorrow. It’s in the fact of our need for God’s mercy and grace. That’s what we need in times of weakness. The confidence of the Christian is that God doesn’t leave us on our own. The promise of Jesus to be with us always is significant, not merely in a symbolic way, but in a very real and meaningful way. He is the source of our strength, and though Christmas as a holiday might be over, Jesus remains.

    Maybe it’s time we understand that it’s not the holiday that ought to mean so much to us. Instead, it’s the biblical promises and reassurances given to remind us that the gift God has given us isn’t like the baubles we package up under a tree. God’s gifts are eternal and permanent. They don’t fade or wilt. They won’t rust or rot. It’s all because God’s greatest gifts are wrapped up in Jesus, and he’s here forever. Praise God for such as gift as that of his own son.

© Copyright 2001, Dr. Bill Denton, CrossTies, All Rights Reserved. Articles may not be reprinted in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Title: "Is Jesus Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?"
Author: Bill Denton
Publication Date: January 4, 2002

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