My first church service I went to was 11 years ago at the Christmas midnight mass back home in Macau. At that time, I was three months into seeking Jesus. In seeking, the question that comes off the tip of our tongue would be - where is Jesus?
Where is Jesus? Do we have to look for Him like how we look for Waldo? Do we have to take a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to truly experience His presence? To be honest, I have never been to the Holy Land and would love to visit someday!
One simple answer would be that He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, as we normally profess in the Nicene Creed ( It is also in the additional ending of the Gospel of Mark). That is true! Does that mean he is far away somewhere in the sky? I don’t think so. Remember what Jesus told His followers before he ascended into Heaven. He tells us to go, make followers of Him and He promises us that He will be with us until the end of time.
This leads me into the next answer - He is with us. Throughout the Bible, God's word was with Moses at the Burning Bush, Mount Sinai, and in the Prophets throughout the history of the Israelites. Even when the Israelites turn a blind eye to Him and fail over and over again, God is with them always and continues to show grace and mercy. Even now with us when we turn a blind eye, we know that he is beside us.
The third answer would be that God is in His Church - His Bride. As Christians, we are to imitate Jesus in His practice and as we do that, we can show God's love to the people around us and we can encourage each other in our faith. We are called to be salt and light - to preserve and to bear witness! As Anglicans, we also practice Holy Communion at church, which Jesus told us to do in remembrance of Him, and we believe that this means of grace shows us that Jesus is present!
Right now, my immediate family still do not believe in Jesus. I am sure that some of you may also have family or friends who do not either, but I am assured that the LORD is near them and He can open their eyes to Him when the time is right.
Emmanuel. God is with us.