Every day is a divine day. On the presence of God in our lives.

As Christians we look forward to the future as the time of bliss. We expect paradise. We long to be in the presence of God.

We take this hope from the message of Jesus who often spoke of the future.

But Jesus saw his ministry especially as the time in which God enters the sad world with renewal.

In the Gospel of Luke it is interesting to see how often Jesus speaks about the presence of salvation - and does so very simply by talking about the "everyday presence of God."

“Today a saviour is born for you in the City of David,” the shepherds hear from the angel who announces Jesus’ birth (Lk.2:11).

“Today this Scripture word is fulfilled in your ears,” Jesus tells the synagogue audience (Lk.4:21).

“Today we have seen incredible things,” the crowds exclaim after a healing and worship God (Lk.5:26).

“Today I have to stay at your house,” Jesus tells Zacchaeus and then continues: “Today salvation has come to this house” (Lk.19:5 and 9).

“Today you will be with me in paradise” Jesus promises the man who is crucified with him (Lk.23:43).

Divine salvation, represented concretely in Jesus, the gift of grace, the love of God is given to people as a gift in the present. The divine relationship is a matter of being experienced here and now. Every day God enters the lives of people: in happy moments when a child is born, in extraordinary moments when trauma is overcome, in times of longing when we are oppressed by our sins, and in times of desperation when we face death itself – God enters our lives. We are no longer waiting for God. “Every day is a divine today” (Welzen 179).

In the lives of those who respond to God’s touch, there is no longer a time in which God is absent. And we do not merely wait on the return of God some day to this world.
 
Spirituality means that we are acutely aware of God as Immanuel, as God with us. We live with this mysterious experience that God enters our existence and lovingly remains with us whatever we experience and wherever we may be. Reason to worship God in amazement and in thankfulness.

If we understand this and make it our own, we are challenged to live a divine life, a life in holiness.