This Advent, we have walked the streets of the Middle East to meet God’s people in every circumstance. They’ve told us how they watch and wait for Christmas, their hopes and fears for their churches and their countries. And through it all, from Algeria to Afghanistan, the proclamation of His Church has resounded: “He is with us!”

In our times of waiting – He is with us.

As we watch for His coming – He is with us.

Whether our hearts are at peace, or battle rages within and without – He is with us.

He is with the children of Bethlehem as they rehearse their nativity play. He is with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, now fearing for their lives. He is with the Algerian believers as they wait for their churches to reopen. He is with the underground believers of Iran – though isolated, they will never be alone. He is with His faithful in Lebanon, giving them courage when the stars are falling.

He is in the fasts, the prayers, the readings, the songs. He is the river of life, the mighty Lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace, the greatest gift, the reconciling bridge that spans the gap between each other and between heaven and earth. He is our Good Shepherd, watching over His flocks in the Middle East and across the world.

He is the promised Word, the holy seed, the sign revealed.

He is the one we’ve been waiting for. And He will come again. But until He does, He is with us.

He is Jesus – and we are His Church. Amen.

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"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:20