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Christmas PainPosted At : December 13, 2008 12:40 PM
| Posted By : Dr. Chuck Betters
Related Categories: Christmas Grief comes in all different sized packages. Our grief journey started with the sudden deaths of our sixteen-year-old son, Mark, and his friend, Kelly. Thirteen years later, I still wish I could erase mid-November through mid-January. Whether you are grieving loss through death, a broken relationship, a prodigal child, loss of health, holidays often magnify the sorrow. Like many families, we reserved special gifts and fun surprises for the Christmas season. We loved all the glitz of the holiday, the lights, decorations, the anticipation of a white Christmas and our house rang with Christmas music as soon after Thanksgiving as possible. We enjoyed the special times with friends and family during our Christmas Eve Open House but we especially loved our Christmas Eve communion service. From the first year of our marriage Sharon and I had shared communion on this night of nights and it seemed to seal the life-driving force of Christ's calling. On our way home from the hospital on that horrible July night of our son's death, I grabbed my wife's hand and whispered, "Christmas, what will we do with Christmas?" As I prepared Christmas messages for our congregation, unfathomable grief opened my eyes to the pain and blood that surrounded the birth of our Savior, God's only son (Christmas Pain, 93-101). Sharon wrote in her journal: Journal Entry, Sunday, December 19, 1993. Chuck's message gives me permission to step back from the glitz of Christmas without guilt. For some reason it helps me to know that the coming of Messiah was a time of pain and weeping. Jesus did not come as a conquering king but a suffering servant. Click here to finish reading the article... In His Grip, |










I understand why people like to see pictures of the sweet baby Jesus, and I understand what they are trying to say by wearing a cross around their neck. But if they really want to express what God was willing to do, maybe they should wear a dirty dipper around their neck. The wise men come and Joseph says, just a minute, Mary is changing God's diaper. The Parasees come to Peter to talk with the Lord and Peter says, just a minute, the Master is behind the bush and ? What must the angels in heaven been thinking? Sweet Baby Jesus yes, but God this is too real for us angels. Is this too real for us so we hang pretty gold crosses around our necks? Besides, we should not be clinging to the cross, but to the empty tomb. Now we're talking victory, Oh death, were is thy sting, Oh grave, were is thy victory. To me this is part of the Christmas story. Now I see how low God came to pick me up. So low that I can hardly bear the thought. I can not understand the Betters loss and I can not understand God's loss to save a sinner like me. This will take eterity. In my minds eye, I can see the giant hole in your heart, but I do not understand. Forgive me. God says, though a mother may forget her child, I will never forget. Will God remember for all eternity, those that do not come to Him, those that are lost ? Forgive me God for the pain that I cause You. Thank You, but forgive me for the Price You paid. Again, maybe this is too real.
Dan