I’ve always enjoyed Christmas. It is one of my favorite times of the year. The festivities, the sights and smells, and the liturgies are just some of the few things that I enjoy about Christmas. It is always a time that seems both magical and warm. There has been something different this year though. There seems to be a numbness that has come about this year. Christmas doesn’t feel the same. It doesn’t seem the same.
I’ve been grieving! In February of this year, I lost my Grandfather. In September, I lost my Grandmother. In 2020, I lost my Dad. I have experienced being around death as a pastor. I have been with families that are grieving. It have been in the hospital room with people as they breathe their last breath. I have been called upon by doctors to break the news to families of their loved ones passing. No matter how many times that you’ve seen it or how long you’ve been around it, death is not something you get used to. My Grandmother always had her Christmas dinner at around 3pm each Christmas. When I was younger, my grandparents would decorate the house and yard with lights. I remember my parents staying up late to get the last touches on presents and festivities of Christmas. My Dad always enjoyed Christmas as well.
This year is different for me! It is a Christmas that I have been grieving.
I am reminded that Christmas is even for those that grieve. Isaiah 9:1-3 says, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.”
For those that grieve during Christmas, remember Jesus has come! He has come to bring joy. He has come to be the light in the darkness. Not only is He the light for people that have walked in the darkness… a people that were distressed without hope… a people that were being conquered and led into exile, but he is the light that comes in the distresses of life as well. Grief happens in life. It is okay to grieve. My prayer this Christmas is that Jesus, the great light, will increase my joy this year and that he will increase yours as well. We rejoice this season because the one who brings about peace has come! We celebrate Jesus!
