For the the twenty-fifth anniversary of my previous congregation, we focused on the theme God with Us. After all, twenty-five years earlier, the founding members of the church had chosen to name their new congregation Emmanuel, which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). That phrase also expressed the testimony of our life together: God had been with us over the years to the present day and would be with us into the future.

Emmanuel

I introduced our anniversary theme with two verses from Matthew’s gospel:

• From the birth narrative quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Mary gave birth to a son: “and they shall name him Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23).
• Then from the end of the gospel, Jesus’ final words to his disciples before his ascension: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

When I read the Bible or any other book, I don’t usually jump around to read a sentence from the beginning and another sentence from the end. But I made an exception that day because those two verses go together, and they tie Matthew’s gospel together. The infant Jesus named Emmanuel at the start of the gospel had been prophesied long ago to be God with us (Isaiah 7:14). Then at the end of the gospel, the adult Jesus—the crucified and risen Christ—promised to be with his disciples forever. The two verses from the beginning and end of the gospel complement one another.

In between, Matthew’s gospel shows us again and again what it meant for Jesus to be God with us.

• Healing the sick and giving sight to the blind,
• Calming storms and demonstrating God’s power over nature,
• Announcing forgiveness from sin and casting out demons,
• Raising the dead, and rising to new life after his crucifixion and burial.

In his earthly life, Jesus clearly lived up to his name Emmanuel. He was a living expression of God with us.

With Us Always

As Jesus prepared to leave his disciples for the last time, he promised to be with them always. It was an open-ended promise that went beyond his earthly life. A promise unlimited by time, unlimited by geography. Jesus is not simply a figure of the past, but God with us even today, wherever we might be.

As a reminder of Jesus’ on-going presence with us, our anniversary worship included a worship display with various things representing our everyday world of school, work, and home: an ironing board with an iron and a shirt, a shovel and hard hat, a school desk, a laptop computer, some sports equipment, and other random items. At the centre, our worship committee placed an open Bible to symbolize God’s presence in the midst of everyday life.

I draw assurance from Jesus as presence. In the kaleidoscope of my life, I need Jesus’ steady presence more than ever. But I also wonder: If Jesus is presence, how am I present with Jesus? Am I with Jesus as a healing presence in my interactions with other people? Am I with him in extending forgiveness? Am I with him as a witness to God’s hope, peace, love, and joy?

Jesus, as divine presence in my life, help me to be present with you in thought, word, and deed. May I seek your presence daily. Amen.  

For the last few years, I’ve written regularly for Asian American Women on Leadership, and I wrote this piece for their December 2025 theme on Jesus as Presence. Unfortunately, I received an email saying that the blog was being discontinued, and my submission was never published, so I’m sharing it here. Although the group blog will not continue, I’m grateful for each of the women who contributed, and pray for Jesus’ presence in their lives and ongoing ministries.