Christ Be With Me

“Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

Christ be with me...

What does it mean for Christ to be with us?

The opening line in the Prayer of St. Patrick begins with one of the most comforting promises in the Bible: "Listen, I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). One of the deepest human needs is to not feel alone. While some of us cherish "alone time," we have an innate need to be in community with one another. We don't want to feel abandoned or isolated. We want to love and be loved. We want to have our needs met while feeling the joy of helping those around us.

In the past week, California has been plagued by fires. I am new to the state and the threat of wildfires is an unsettling feeling. My home and town are safe, and I can only imagine the fear and anxiety the 80,000 people who have been evacuated feel. Do they know Christ is with them?

We as Christians are called to be Christ with others. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave us the commission to act on his behalf in the world. We are the body of Christ acting as Christ in our communities. We often name that one of the most powerful ways to be with others is through presence. We in the church sometimes reference it as the "ministry of presence." We can be present with someone in many ways: through a phone call, by sitting with someone in distress, by sharing our resources with others.

My local church held a donation drop-off event this past Sunday afternoon for fire victims. We had a wonderful outpouring of supplies from the community. A new app to me - Nextdoor - is very popular in my area. I posted for the first time a request for tents and blankets. Within minutes, I had five homes volunteer needed items. People want to help others in times of need. We want others to know they are not alone.

When others are with us, our fear subsides. We are not alone in troubled times, and we gain courage to persevere. My prayer is that we remember Christ is indeed with us; we are not alone.

May we strive this week to also remind those around us of this promise and that we there for them and so is God! Christ be with us all.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2 ESV)