Considerations

    This Christmas will be…

    This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 
    1 John 4:9 NIV

    This Christmas will be…

    As the season rolls on and the 25th of December draws near, I am aware there are various ways people can finish this sentence. Many are looking forward to carrying on their family traditions. Some are excited to create new ones. Others can’t wait for their holiday trips to start. They are the ones who might use these lyrics straight from Donny Hathaway’s song: “And this Christmas will be a very special Christmas for me.”1

    But this particular view of this year’s Christmas will not be held by all. Unfortunately there will be many who will see this Christmas through a sadder lens as they see empty seats, miss loved ones’ laughter and unopened presents remain under the tree. For this group, understandably so, this Christmas can be an unwelcome, difficult and lonely experience as cherished friends and beloved family members are absent for whatever reasons for the first time or for another year. My heart aches for those who find themselves in this hard space this Christmas.

    As the years come and go, each of us will find ourselves facing both Christmases described above at different times of our lives. Every year, we are faced with the unknown as life is unpredictable and ever-changing. But what is known, predictable and unchanging is the true reason for the season.

    For this Christmas will be a celebration of…

    • the day God came to earth in the form of a lowly baby. (Isaiah 9:6/ Matthew 1:23) 
    • the Word of God coming to live among us (John 1:14)
    • the amazing gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23)
    • the true Light entering our dark world (John 1:9)
    • the hope we have and the life that death cannot steal (John 11:25)
    • the love God has for us shown through the life of His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16)

    Wherever life has us this Christmas, may we take time to ponder the true meaning of this season. Let us consider the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to us years ago and allow that same love to meet us and carry us through whatever this Christmas will be for each of us.

    1.  https://genius.com/Donny-hathaway-this-christmas-lyrics ↩︎