Following on from last week:-
Where was the father? – the second instalment of last week’s story..
The father was about thirty feet away from the boy all through the night. He was in the forest, next to trees that sheltered him, and he watched his son, but he would not leave his son, because he knew the great danger and he knew that his boy could really have been destroyed by the wild animals in the forest.
But he stayed with him, but the boy never knew it, never thought of it. And so, when the little boy came home, he bragged to his brothers and sisters, “Yes, I have done this wonderful thing and it’s my honour and now I am a man in the tribe.” And they gave him a sword and they gave him a shield and everything.
Why do I tell that story?
What saved that little boy?
The presence of his father. The presence of his father shielded him, took care of him, without him even knowing it. But if it wasn’t for the presence of the father, terrible things could have happened to that child, and yet he himself never knew it. Now, if you think of that, you must remember that this is the presence of God among us. God is hidden, in a way, but not hidden. He is always there when we open our hearts to Him and ask.
But it is we who must search and we who must find and we who must strive with great honour and fall into the arms of a God who has always, always, taken care of us and will continue to take care of us all our lives.
Those are just two little examples. And what does it mean? It means that we are not alone, that God is with us and it is the presence of God that is with us. And then, one day in the not too distant future, Jesus will give us a sign and symbol that will be the best of all. And he will bring them, his little disciples, into the room and he will bless the bread and say, “This is me. This is myself. I give it to you. Take it and eat it.”
And he will bless the wine and say, “This is my blood poured out for your healing and your salvation. “Never again must you be afraid of the darkness. Never again must you walk away from what is your responsibility. Never again. “Why? “Because I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.”