This week, less than three weeks from Christmas Day, was met with great sadness for friends in different areas of our lives. One friend lost her mom to an illness, one is waiting on test results on a tumour that is causing debilitating pain and others lost yet another grandchild to death in utero. There is a heavy feeling in my chest as I think of what they must be going through in their hearts and minds. For some reason, tragedies like these seem more painful to us when they happen close to Christmas, "the Season of Joy and Peace and Goodwill".
As I was driving today, praying for my friends, Amy Grant's song "Breath of Heaven" came on the radio. One of the lines in the song reads:
I am waiting in silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me. Be with me now.
-Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant
One thing I find we do is romanticize the event surrounding Jesus' birth. Many pastors have done a great job of bringing realistic details of this time; with descriptions of what Mary must have experienced with a seemingly unplanned pregnancy out of wedlock, the stank conditions of where our Saviour first laid his head or the number of babies who were slain by a narcissistic king who was threatened by a prophesy. No matter how well these preachers and teachers present the truth of these events, we still hang on to the beauty of the young virgin, loved and cared for by a humble Joseph. We love the shepards following after the star with wonder and hope, the host of angels who herald the New Born King, and the quiet scene of a new family in a tidy nativity setting. We know, just like at Easter, that there was pain and anguish, unknowns and fear, but that is not as beautiful. We want the Nat King Cole, Town Square lit Christmas trees, and children nestled up in their beds dreaming of sugar plums. These have become the Spirit of Christmas in our minds.
So what happens when our Christmas season is met with pain and brokenness and fear? What if we are so busy going to chemo treatments or trips to the NICU that we don't have time to get the tree up and the cookies baked? What if our family gatherings are anxiety-ridden or completely non-existent? Are we less Christmasy?
What if circumstances such as these, these painful, heart-wrenching circumstances, are the very ones that bring us closer to the true Spirit of Christmas?
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. -Psalm 147:3
If we look at the words of Jesus and the many promises of God we find all that we are longing for at Christmas.
If you really listen to the words of old hymns like Joy to the World and ... you will find great truths.
Truly he taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains we shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
-O Holy Night
Now, going back to Amy Grant's song. When I heard the words "frightened", "cold" and "alone", it hit me that these emotions are just as much a part of Christmas as the warm and happy ones. The Christmas story is not void of negative emotions and hard circumstances BUT there is such beauty in them because they are met with the promises of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords-Emmanuel! Those who are mourning at Christmas are blessed, as scriptures suggest, because they can experience true and lasting comfort. The brokenhearted can look to the Risen King for their healing and their freedom. Those who look to the Babe in a Manger with desperation are those who will fully experience the true Spirit of Christmas and what they receive from Him will be far deeper and long standing than our happy times with friends and egg nog.
This message is not to reprimand you for looking forward to the joys of Christmas frivolity or good times. Not at all! Celebrate all the good that the Lord has done; sing and tell stories and laugh.
Simply, this message is an encouragement for you to not avoid or resist feeling negative feelings at Christmas. Embrace them . Embrace them and let the true meaning of Christmas touch your heart and transform you. If hardships come in this season, turn to your nativity scene on your mantel, bend your knees and allow him to come and give you beauty for ashes, oil for joy and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:2-3)
Lastly, let's not avoid people who are hurting and broken at this time of year. Bring comfort, offer rest, carry their burdens. Embrace their pain with them and in turn, experience the grace and hope of Christ. Jesus is near to the brokenhearted. If you want to find the Babe in the Manger, go be with the brokenhearted. He is there. The Spirit of Christmas is there.
