Habakkuk
Revelation 15

“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother: ‘This Child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’” Luke 2:34-35

For many people, Christmas is their favourite time of year. There is the giving and receiving of presents. The joy of getting together with family and friends. The snowy weather also makes everything feel a little magical. Yet, there is also a dark side to Christmas. For some people, Christmas is the loneliest time of the year.

Whatever is our normal experience of life, it gets amplified at Christmas. For example, if we enjoy a good family life and solid friendships, the volume of this enjoyment turns up at Christmastime and increases our pleasure and joy. However, if we have a difficult marriage, are estranged from our family and do not have many friends, the volume of disappointment and loneliness also turns up. Both our joys and pains are louder at Christmas than any other time of the year. This is why some are not looking forward to Christmas and would hope for it to pass quickly.

Despite all the emphasis on joy, the truth is that the message of Christmas is most real in our pain, sorrow, disappointment and suffering. When Simeon met the newborn baby Jesus, he told Mary, His mother, “This Child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34-35). Without a doubt, Simeon was referring to the opposition that Jesus would encounter throughout the time of His public ministry. But to Mary, the sword that would “pierce her soul” was the crucifixion of Christ.

The Bible is not afraid of suffering, sadness or pain. These are often the very avenues that God comes to us in a new way and His presence is made real. The Christian life is not an escapism from the traumas of life; rather, it is an
equipping to go into them with all the presence and resources of God Himself. The name Immanuel, given to Jesus at His birth means “God with us.” Christmas is not about believing facts about a Jesus back there in history, or up there in heaven, but down here, right now, in our world and in us—One who indwells us, equips us and empowers us to be what otherwise we could never be.

At Christmas, may we not avoid the pain or refuse the joy, but face life as it is, with dependence on the presence and working of God in our lives and our circumstances.

Precious Lord Jesus, thank You that You are God with us. In my painful times and in my joyful moments, I can face life as it is with You working in my life and circumstances.

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