Gift #525: Christmas Prayers

Christmas is a time of rejoicing in all that is lovely and good, a time for remembering that God remembered us.  But Christmas can be hard, it can sometimes even feel like a slap in the face.  I’m thinking tonight of Claire Davis’ family mourning her passing just a few days ago from the shooting at Arapahoe High School.  How agonizing these days have been as they waited and hoped and then suffered her loss.  I’m thinking tonight of a woman in my church family whose mother and sister were killed in their home on Friday, just 5 days before Christmas.  I’m thinking of those who have lost jobs, homes, loved ones, or their dreams.  And my heart breaks.  Tragedies like these are terrible at any time, but when they come at Christmas, it seems even crueler when a day meant to be a celebration turns into a day of mourning instead.  And what can you say or how can you respond in the face of such pain and loss?  How do you comfort those who prayed for a Christmas miracle and none came?  It’s so easy for the hurting to get lost at this time of year, to get swept out of sight in all the hustle and bustle of holiday noise.  But it is for the broken and the hurting that Christmas comes. More than any other group, God identifies Himself most closely with the hurting and isolated.  He calls Himself the “Man of Sorrows” and tells us He is acquainted with grief.  The New Testament records that Jesus experienced every pain and sorrow common to humanity.  His ministry on earth was specifically for the heartbroken, the helpless, and the hopeless.  God promises those who are mourning that He will comfort them; He promises to bind up the wounds of the broken-hearted.  If you are in a place of pain at this season, then Christmas is for you.  The message of Christmas is that you are not forgotten, you are not alone, you are loved, and God Himself is coming for you.  And I pray that this Christmas will be a time of comfort and healing for you and that you will be enfolded with love and peace.

Blessings to you,

Sarah