An open letter to the 'sorrowful' this Christmas:

It starts in October. We get ready for the "Hap-Happiest season of all," Christmas. The music starts playing, the ads start running, the sales flyers start coming. We put out the manger scene showing a serene and beautiful Mary hovering over a peaceful and snug baby Jesus, the animals looking on reverently. We talk about the great news of Christ’s birth, how we all should be feeling such joy and peace this time of year. And if you're not a Christian, it's just the joy and peace of the season itself.  We're all supposed to be like the little Who's in Whoville, holding hands, singing.  Presents, fellowship, happy, happy, merry, merry!!

But what if you’re not feeling the hap-happiest this Christmas? What if circumstances of your life can’t simply be covered by wrapping paper and swallowed down with the glazed ham? Is there a place at Christmas-time for sadness? Is there a place at Christmas-time for lamenting? Is there a place at Christmas-time for uncertainty?

Is it possible that the good news of Jesus’ birth has been reduced by society (and even the Church) to a “Joy to the World” cliche? Is this all there is to the Christmas story--joy and happiness?  I don't know about you, but when I think of Christmas being “the most wonderful time of year” it only succeeds in causing a struggling person to feel alienated during this season. Is it any wonder that depression increases almost two-fold during the holiday months?

But I wonder what would happen if we not only emphasized the “good” parts of the Jesus story, but also the parts that aren't so “good.” 

 Allow me to present to you some words and terms from the scriptures surrounding the birth of Christ that you won’t hear sung about this Christmas: 

Fear

Betrayal 

Divorce 

Escape 

Murder

Think about (really put yourself there!) what Mary went through when her family and friends found out she was pregnant—before she was married. 

 Think about what Joseph must’ve felt when he learned of Mary’s “betrayal.” 

 Consider the fear of being in labor with no place to birth your child. Allow me to be bold and speculate that Mary probably felt terrible about having to place God’s son in a feeding trough. 

 Imagine smelling donkey dung while you attempt to nurse your firstborn child. 

 Imagine the fear you’d feel fleeing your country because a political figure wants your child dead. 

 And imagine being a parent in Bethlehem, watching your toddler boy be slaughtered because of one man’s narcissistic obsession with power. Somehow, O Little Town of Bethlehem just doesn't seem like the right song…..

I don’t point to these scriptures because these are what should be emphasized about Christ’s birth, not at all. Emphasizing either extreme is best avoided, of course. But don’t we do a disservice to the Sovereignty of God when we fail to look at the whole story, the story that shows a whole gamete of human emotion? 

 For me, the Christmas story is ultimately about God’s sovereignty. How He orchestrated the events of Christ’s birth just perfectly, just how He wanted them. How he used Herod’s obsessive power grab, Mary’s fear, Joseph’s divorce plans, and a stinky manger, to bring about the most beautiful event in human history. We can read these few verses hundreds of years later and see the beauty of God’s sovereign plan. But for some of us, we need the whole story. We need the pain, the fear, the uncertainty, the heartbreak. We need it because we desperately need to see a God who works through them, designing something beautiful.

So if you’re not feeling like doing the jingle bell rock this year, don’t despair, God is with you. He may have you riding a donkey while you’re nine months pregnant, only to give birth later in a stinky barn with only your clueless husband to help you, but He is with you, rest assured, and He is weaving something glorious.

Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever you celebrate this time of year. 

May the peace of God rest with you. 

Love, Kristin