Un-Merry Christmas

The more pop Christmas music I hear (and it’s unavoidable), the more I realize how disconnected most of it is from real life. “Tis the season to be jolly;” “Have a holly, jolly Christmas, it’s the best time of the year;” “There’s no place like home for the holidays;” and “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light, from now on our troubles will be out of sight.”

Let’s get real! A lot of us aren’t going to have a jolly Christmas for various reasons—depression, death, national tragedies, unemployment, terminal illness, divorce, family discord, etc. Even saying “Merry Christmas” is a bit of a stretch, though that is somewhat better than “Happy Holidays.” If you don’t know what someone is going through, don’t tell them how to feel about this time of year! Many folks are just biding their time until the shopping frenzy dies down and life can get back to a regular routine. (I purposely did not say “normal routine” because, as Patsy Clairmont said, “Normal is just a setting on your dryer.”) Of the secular songs, my favorite is “If We Make It Through December.”

I can accept most of the more Christian Christmas carols (except for Little Drummer Boy). At least they have some link to our faith in a Savior born in Bethlehem. As some have pointed out, the first Christmas wasn’t all that merry either—registering for taxation, a stable for a delivery room, babies and toddlers killed by a paranoid king… There’s nothing that would make me want to live in that era, not even for a chance to see Jesus in the flesh.

Jesus told the disciples, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). As we are getting closer to the Second Coming, and we may hope these are the end times, there will be increased mourning, strife, and hardship. Things are going to get worse, not better. Jesus continued by saying, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So even though this season may not be filled with happiness, you can still have peace in Christ, hope for eternity, and joy in knowing you’re not alone.

As I shared on Facebook, here are a few of the true gifts that are available in Christ and they cannot be taken away from us:
Joy unspeakable - 1 Pet. 1:8
Grace unending - 2 Cor. 4:15
Love unfathomable - Eph. 3:19
Peace incomprehensible - Phil. 4:7
Wisdom unsearchable - Rom. 11:33
Power incomparable - Eph. 1:19
Patience immeasurable - Rom. 2:4

May your Christmas be blessed with the knowledge of our Savior’s love!