Emmanuel: God With Us in the In-Between

Devotional

Day 1: Emmanuel in the liminal, in-between days

Between Christmas and the new year, you stand in a threshold space where plans are unmade and questions linger. God meets you here, not with a detailed roadmap, but with a steady promise of presence. The same Christ announced at the manger and revealed on the mountain stays near when life feels packed in boxes and nothing is put away yet. You are not asked to be certain; you are invited to be companioned. Let His nearness, not your clarity, be your anchor today. Rest in the truth that He is with you still. [42:13]

Matthew 28:16–20
The eleven went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to gather. When they saw Him, they bowed low, though some still wrestled with doubt. Jesus said that all authority in heaven and on earth is His. He sent them to form learners from every nation, baptizing them into the life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to live out all He commanded. He assured them He would stay with them every day until the end of the age.

Reflection: What unfinished conversation or decision are you carrying into the new year where you need to lean into Jesus’ nearness rather than more information?

Day 2: Yesterday—tracing grace in the rearview mirror

Looking back over the year, there were joys that made you sing and moments you would rather forget. Yet God was present in both, steady in celebration and faithful in confusion. Take time to review the year with prayerful curiosity, not harsh judgment. Ask where mercy held you when answers were slow and where grace surprised you when strength felt thin. Gratitude and lament can sit together in Emmanuel’s company. Let remembrance become worship. [50:17]

Matthew 1:22–23
All this happened to fulfill what the Lord had promised through the prophet: a young woman would conceive and bear a son, and He would be called Emmanuel—God choosing to draw near and live with us.

Reflection: As you look back over the last twelve months, where do you now see traces of God’s care that you missed in the moment, and how might you mark that with gratitude this week?

Day 3: Today—resting in the quiet, honest middle

You do not need a resolution yet or a perfect new word before the clock turns. In this honest middle, Jesus is not asking for reinvention; He is offering companionship. Let the pressure drop, breathe, and name the needs of this day. Ask for daily bread and the grace to forgive and be forgiven. Trust that the One who is with you will help you take the next small step. You are not navigating this moment alone. [52:06]

Matthew 6:9–13
Pray like this: Father in heaven, may Your name be honored. Let Your reign take root here on earth as it is in heaven. Give us what we need for today. Release us from our sins as we release those who have wronged us. Guide us away from tempting paths and rescue us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours.

Reflection: What pressure are you feeling to reinvent yourself before January 1, and what small practice today could help you rest in Jesus’ nearness instead?

Day 4: Tomorrow—stepping forward with a kept promise

The new calendar holds both hopes and unknowns, but Jesus does not hand you a five-year plan. He gives something better: Himself. You step into what’s next not alone, but accompanied by the risen Christ who already stands in the days ahead. Bring your anxieties to Him and carry His companionship into each appointment and surprise. The calendar offers space, but Christ offers certainty of presence. Walk forward under that promise. [53:00]

Matthew 28:20
Teach them to practice all I’ve instructed you, and know this: I Myself will be with you every step until the story of this age is complete.

Reflection: Name one date on your upcoming calendar that stirs anxiety—what would it look like to carry that appointment with a prayer of companionship rather than certainty?

Day 5: Sent people of the incarnation—make disciples

God’s nearness is not only comfort; it is calling. As people of the incarnation, you are sent to bear light into shadow, offer peace in a restless world, and help others follow Jesus. You may still feel like life is in boxes, yet His authority and presence are enough for your obedience. Making disciples looks like sharing life, teaching what He taught, and living in a way that becomes the gospel. Go where He places you, trusting He goes with you. Presence becomes purpose, and purpose is sustained by His presence. [56:08]

Matthew 28:18–20
Jesus came near and declared that every kind of authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. Because of this, He sends His followers to all peoples, to baptize them into the life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all He commanded. He promises to remain with them always, right up to the end.

Reflection: Who is one person God might be inviting you to walk alongside in the new year, not to fix them but to share Jesus’ presence with them, and what first step could you take?

Sermon Summary

Between Christmas and the new year, life feels like a threshold—boxes packed, not yet unpacked; lights still glowing while the calendar whispers, “what’s next?” Into that in-between comes the risen Christ’s promise: “I am with you always.” The text from Matthew 28 is not a manger scene and not even Easter morning. It is the place where worship and doubt stand side-by-side on a mountain, and where Jesus does not hand out a five-year plan but offers something sturdier than strategy—his unbroken presence. Christmas announces that God has come near; the risen Christ assures that God is not going anywhere.

This promise reframes yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Looking back over the year, some memories shine and others sting, yet none sit outside God’s faithful company. Often the rearview makes grace easier to trace—God did not step back when the answers were slow or the mess was real. In the present, there is no need to sprint into resolutions or reinvent by midnight. The honest work of these in-between days is to remember that one is not navigating alone. That slow, steady awareness becomes the ground under every unsteady step.

As for tomorrow, Jesus doesn’t say “don’t worry” so much as “I’ll be there.” The calendar gives space but not certainty—no notes about surprise phone calls or quiet breakthroughs. Yet the One who came in weakness and rose in power already stands in the year ahead, making the unknown neither empty nor threatening. That promise is not passivity; it is propulsion. From the same mountain where presence is pledged, a mission is given: go, baptize, teach, and embody the gospel. The nearness of Christ sustains the boldness of obedience. The Church lives not by perfect clarity but by a faithful Companion who sends and stays.

Standing between reflection and anticipation, the call is simple and strong: live as people of the incarnation. Bear light into shadows. Offer peace in restless rooms. Share good news with a world hungry for God’s nearness. The One who came to us walks beside us and goes before us—yesterday, today, and to the end of the age.

Key Takeaways

1. God meets us in-between times. The space between what was and what’s next is not empty; it is a meeting place. Like the disciples on the mountain, we can worship and doubt in the same breath and still be addressed by Christ. Liminal days are not spiritual downtime—they are where promise takes root. [41:19]
2. Presence over plans and previews. Jesus offers his presence, not a calendar. Plans can be wise, but they cannot carry a soul; a Person can. The assurance “I am with you” is a better foundation than certainty about outcomes. [45:57]
3. Trace grace in yesterday’s rearview. Hindsight often reveals God’s quiet work in moments we wanted to forget. Even when answers were delayed and things got messy, divine companionship did not waver. Reviewing the year prayerfully can turn memory into worship. [51:16]
4. Receive today without pressured reinvention. These days do not require a slogan, a word-of-the-year, or a new self by midnight. They ask for awareness that we are not walking alone. Peace grows when presence is trusted more than performance. [51:42]
5. Presence fuels disciple-making courage. The Great Commission is anchored in the promise of “I am with you.” Mission is not a burden we shoulder solo; it is a life we live beside a faithful Lord. Courage to go, teach, and embody the gospel flows from communion, not mere willpower. [56:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:31] - Call to Worship: God With Us
[24:51] - Apostles’ Creed
[26:28] - Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
[28:45] - The Lord’s Prayer
[29:40] - Year-in-Review and Gratitude
[36:57] - Giving and Ways to Respond
[41:19] - Living in the Liminal Space
[42:47] - Scripture: Matthew 28—Great Commission
[44:15] - When Worship Meets Doubt
[45:57] - Presence, Not a Five-Year Plan
[49:53] - God With Us: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
[54:50] - Closing Prayer
[60:03] - New Wednesday Study Invitation
[61:48] - Benediction: Carried by Emmanuel

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Observation questions

In Matthew 28:16-17, what two responses do the eleven have when they see Jesus, and what does that reveal about the scene on the mountain?
In verses 18-20, what is the order of Jesus’ words (claim, command, promise)? How might the order itself be meaningful?
“Jesus doesn’t hand them a five-year strategy… He says, I am with you.” What is explicitly offered and what is not? [45:57]
“The calendar… gives us space, but not certainty.” What specific unknowns are acknowledged here? [48:09]

Interpretation questions

Matthew includes, “they worshiped him, but some doubted.” Why might it matter that worship and doubt can coexist in the same people at the same time? [44:15]
How does Jesus’ claim, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” shape the way one hears, “Therefore, go and make disciples…” in Matthew 28:18-19?
The phrase “liminal space” describes the in-between times. How does the promise, “I am with you always,” speak uniquely to those threshold moments? [41:19]
Why might Jesus’ presence be a sturdier foundation than detailed plans or previews for the future? What does that change about how a disciple makes decisions? [45:57]

Application questions

“We’re still kind of in that space… the calendar is whispering to us.” Where are you currently living in-between—between what was and what’s next—and what would it look like to meet Jesus there this week? [42:13]
“Sometimes… you can trace God’s hand looking back in the rearview mirror.” Looking over the last year, where can you now see quiet grace that you couldn’t see at the time? Name one moment you’d rather have forgotten where God did not step back. [51:16]
“You don’t need a New Year’s resolution yet… You just need to hear this: You are not navigating this moment alone.” What pressure to reinvent yourself do you need to release? What simple practice could help you remember you’re not walking alone today? [51:42]
“Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Don’t worry.’ Jesus says, ‘I’ll be there.’” What future situation are you most anxious about? How would you face it differently if you entered it assuming Jesus will meet you there? [53:00]
“Go and… live before [others] a life that becomes the gospel.” What concrete step could you take in January to move toward someone—neighbor, coworker, classmate—with gospel presence (a conversation, invitation, act of service)? [56:08]
“God is with us still.” What daily cue could you set (alarm, doorway prayer, commute check-in) to ground your day in Jesus’ nearness? Try one small rhythm this week. [53:47]
“Live as people of the incarnation… bearing light into shadow, offering peace in a restless world.” Where is one “shadow” you can bring light, or one “restless room” where you can offer peace, in the next seven days? [27:35]

Sermon Clips

You don't know what lies ahead, but you're on the edge of that. You're in that liminal space. That's the disciples. They've seen the risen Christ, but they don't know yet how this faith is going to work in the real world. And that's where Jesus meets us today, I think. Not after everything is organized, but while it's still kind of in the boxes. [00:45:18] (30 seconds) #LiminalButAccompanied

Not just when it's clear. Not just when it's joyful. Not just when they feel confident. Always. Always. Think about this. That's the same promise we celebrate at Christmas. Emmanuel, God with us. The difference is now that we don't hear it from the manger, but from the risen Christ. [00:46:19] (27 seconds) #EmmanuelAlways

Think about this. That's the same promise we celebrate at Christmas. Emmanuel, God with us. The difference is now that we don't hear it from the manger, but from the risen Christ. Christmas says, God has come to you. Matthew 28 says, God is staying with you. [00:46:30] (26 seconds) #RisenEmmanuel

Now, this week, all of us will flip the calendar to January. Maybe you got a new calendar for Christmas. Maybe you did like we did and bought one at the Dollar Tree. But I don't know if you're like me, but you've got to have a paper calendar. I put a lot of stuff on my phone and things like that. But you've got to have a paper calendar, right, to mark things up. And there are things that are already marked on that calendar, right? You know when birthdays are. [00:46:56] (31 seconds) #PaperCalendarLife

It doesn't show the phone calls that you'll get that you're not expecting. It doesn't mark the moments that will truly change us. It doesn't name the joys or the challenges that will be coming. The calendar actually gives us some space, but not certainty. And if we're honest, sometimes part of us wishes that God would just fill it in for us, circle the big dates, add some notes, give us a little preview of how it's all going to go. [00:47:58] (41 seconds) #CalendarNotCertainty

Christmas told us that God has come near. Matthew 28 tells us that God isn't going anywhere. And so, as we step through this week and into a new year with blank pages and unanswered questions, we don't step in it with all the plans made. We step in it, we step into it with a promise. And that promise is enough. [00:49:15] (30 seconds) #PromiseIsEnough

As this year is winding down, it's natural to look back. And there's some things as we look back over the year that we're very grateful for it. Some of us, as we look back over the year, we're just tired. And some of us are just relieved that this year is over and we can turn the page. Here's the quiet truth that we sometimes forget. God was with you in the moments you remember clearly. And God was with you in the ones that you'd rather forget. God did not abandon you when things were messy. God didn't step away when the answers were slow. [00:50:07] (45 seconds) #GodNeverAbandons

You don't have to step into the future alone. You step into it accompanied. And so, we are living in the still. God is with you still. That is the good news for this Sundays. You don't have to rush. You don't have to have the answers. You don't have to pretend confidence you don't feel. You can live in the simple, steady truth. [00:53:20] (27 seconds) #YouAreNotAlone

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