On the Nearness of the Lord
December 4, 2024
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:4-7).
As I pray with this passage, and even as I write this, I see something like a split screen in my mind. On the left side of the screen I see St. Paul and on the right side I see five friends of mine. I’m praying and hoping that those on the right find great solace from St. Paul on the left.
Four of the five friends are married. One couple has been sharing in the Lord’s passion for almost as long as I’ve known them. For the better part of the past twenty five years, they’ve been struggling with severe health issues in one of their children. I’m guessing their medical bills over the course of this time are in the tens of millions of dollars. Recently, one of the parents has also been diagnosed with cancer and, well, the cross has been even heavier for the whole family. The second couple has also been sharing in the passion of Jesus. Job loss, health concerns, and more have brought them to the place where they honestly don’t know if they can take any more.
The fifth friend is a priest. He’s in prison. So far as I am aware, he’s behind bars unjustly, but only God knows that for sure. And him, of course. His name, even should he be released, is forever tarnished. No, dragged through the muck and the mire. He and I frequently exchange letters; less frequently on his end, as paper is in short supply in prison. He recently described life behind bars to me as “the fraternity of the fallen.” What an apt description that is for us all.
All five of these people are serious disciples of Jesus. All five of them are making their requests known to God. All five are praying for miracles.
In my mind’s eye, Paul is seated on the left side of the split screen. He’s also in prison. That’s where he’s writing Phlippians from. First century prisons were, in a word, brutal. We need to remember the context as we read his words this week. His external circumstances lend more power to his words.
“Rejoice!” he writes. “I shall say it again, rejoice! … Have no anxiety at all.” From prison. In chains. Unsure if he is going to live or be executed by the Roman Empire. All for preaching the gospel of the true King, Jesus.
How can he say this? “The Lord is near.” That’s how.
And so the Holy Spirit whispers to my friends on the other side of the split screen, and to me, and to each of you. “The Lord is near.” “Near” in the sense that He is going to return in majesty. “Near” in the sense that He is going to make all things new. “Near” in the sense that God does not play games, is faithful and will bring this story – His-story – to a glorious conclusion.
“Near,” however, also in the sense that He is with us, no matter the circumstances you and I find ourselves in. Healthy or ill. Gainfully employed or out of work. Sleeping in our own beds or on cots behind bars.
In just a few days, we’re going to hear how the angel of the Lord told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary into his home as his wife. She had not been unfaithful, as he feared. The child in her womb is there by the power of the Holy Spirit. And he, Joseph, is to give Him the name Jesus. “All this,” Matthew writes, “took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us’.”
God is with us. The all-powerful Lord of heaven and earth, who humbled Himself to be born of the virgin, who suffered the shame of the cross, and who triumphed over Sin, Death and Satan, is with us. And He doesn’t just sit beside us, like a good friend, unable to do anything. He gives us grace, strength, and all that we need to endure, to persevere, to hang on, to trust, confident that those who trust in Him will never be put to shame.
Please pray that this truth will guard the hearts and minds of my friends and fill them with peace and joy. And let us pray the same for one another.
The Lord is near!
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
December 2024
For a gathering of priests joining us early this month for a few days of prayer, fellowship, and rest, seeking what is on the Father’s heart for them and their parish families.
For the mission in Grand Rapids, that many will be mobilized for mission to evangelize and recreate this world that God so loves.
For our time at the first European SEEK Conference in Germany at the end of the month as well as for meetings with partners in the UK in early January.
For a joyful Advent and Christmas season for our Episcopal Advisory Committee, Board members, benefactors, prayer partners and all those running The Rescue Project in their parishes, homes and college campuses.
For God’s protection upon Fr. John Riccardo and the ACTS XXIX family.