I Am with You Always

Church of the Light (multiple views), Tadao Ando, 1989–1999. Architects: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Ibarkai-Shi, Japan.

“There is a Redeemer” from the album My Redeemer. Composed by Keith Green. Performed by Matthew Ward.

Poetry:

“I Am With You Always”
by Malcolm Guite

Your final words fulfill your ancient name,
A promise hidden in Emmanuel,
A promise that can never fade or fail:
I will be with you till the end of time;
I will be with you when you scale the height
And with you when you fall to earth again,
With you when you flourish in the light,
And with you through the shadow and the pain.
Our God with us, you leave and yet remain
Risen and hidden with us everywhere;
Hidden and flowing in the wine we share,
Broken and hidden in the growing grain.
Be with us till we know we are forgiven
Be with us here till we’re with you in heaven.

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS

I recently reached a noteworthy milestone: I turned sixty years old. People say age is just a number, but this number testifies to a certain longevity. You made it this far! My continued existence is not based on my own strength, but on God's mercy to let me live another day; it also rests on a faith that gives me the right attitude when things go awry. One child who keeps speaking into my life lately is a boy from an advertisement for the evening news who says, while surrounded by the devastation of the California wildfires, "I say to myself," he says sagely, "it's not about me." This boy's parents have surely done something right in his upbringing: putting others above self is the way of Christ, and to realize this at such a young age shows promise for a future filled with people whose lives are other-oriented. Knowing that God is behind our attempts to serve others rather than be concerned only with our own circumstances can be joyfully pursued when we realize that God is always there for us, and we can be there for others.

Another memorable statement overheard recently occurred during last January's Fire Aid benefit concert in Los Angeles. In a video honoring first responders who risked their own lives to assist people in the path of the Eaton fire, another youth exhibiting the vibrant unselfconscious wisdom of his age made this memorable statement: "When God gives you lemons and a burnt house, you make lemonade." That kind of trust and positivity is hard to come by. Jesus promised his followers that once a relationship with Him has been established, it will last for eternity. While buildings may burn and crumble, while the shorelines may be filled with toxic debris representing thousands of lives forever scarred by tragedy, Jesus never forsakes his children, no matter how catastrophic circumstances might seem.

Our artwork for today's devotional, photographs of the minimalist lines and spaces of architect Tadao Ando's Church of the Light in Ibaraki, Japan, are designed to embody structurally what haiku poetry does with words––Ando creates a place of comfort and rest within a building that gains its dynamism from the spaces between walls that allow natural light to slip through. In relation to today's theme, there is no place in this sanctuary where the cross will not both penetrate and permeate the atmosphere. This church expresses architecturally the concept that God is light, and that the Light will be the redemption of the world. This house of worship beautifully reflects physically the language of Malcom Guite's poem, "I Am with You Always": "Our God with us, you leave and yet remain / Risen and hidden with us everywhere" (Guite, 9-10). Similarly, the lyrics for today's musical selection by Melody and Keith Green also emphasize the eternal nature of our relationship with God:

"When I stand in glory
I will see His face,
And there I’ll serve
My King forever,
In that holy place."

Prayer:
Lord of comfort and mercy, please allow us to always appreciate the myriad ways you sustain us each and every day and year and decade of our lives.
Amen

Dr. Marc Malandra
Professor of English
Biola University