Blue Christmas 2024

Christmas is a time of joy for many but it can also be a time of sorrow. I remember wanting to cancel those first holidays, after my Dad died, because it hurt so bad. I pray for those experiencing their "first" Christmas without a loved one or are still grieving that loved one.

God gave us His greatest gift in His Son, Jesus Christ and He gave us the loved ones we lost. They were God’s gift to us and we are thankful for our time together. We thank God for our memories of past holidays and the traditions that we created with our loved ones and how they made the holidays special. As we believe our loved ones are in God’s presence we ask God to grant us the “courage to persevere in the work of grieving so that we can confront our sorrow and move through the pain to the other side of grief.” As Christians, we have hope and we have Jesus in our hearts. He conquered death and the grave.

Christmas is also for those of us who mourn and grieve because Jesus conquered the very things that create such sorrow in our hearts. The blood and death that surrounded the birth of Jesus can make His light even brighter to those who are grieving. He came to offer us forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. May you cling to God during this time. Job 5: 11, "The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." Isaiah 41: 10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Because of God’s promise, we can sing, “Because He lives, we can face tomorrow!”