This year particularly, it seems some friends of ours have hit deep valleys and trials in their lives. It is especially painful to face such dark times in the blaring lightheartedness and merriment of Christmas--parents dying, children being called to heaven, terminal diseases and other big hurts in our earthly pilgrimages. Family and friends expect a smile, cheer and the usual joy that surrounds the holiday. It is difficult.
Ryan and I were doing our Bible study together before bed two nights ago and the topic was on suffering during the Christmas season. Though it is a call for celebration that Christ came to redeem Christians, the passage of Isaiah 53 reminds us that it was also a solemn occasion. Jesus left His glory to begin a life of suffering and pain. He understands the difficulties that people face in life. This passage in Isaiah says,
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry
ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was
despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed
him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was
pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are
healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed
and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to
the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did
not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and
judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he
was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people
he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor
was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the
Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes
his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will
see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous
servant will justify many,
and he will bear their
iniquities." Isaiah 53: 2-11
It is comforting to know that God is with you in trials, but it is even more reassuring for those in pain that Christ is personally familiar with such extreme sorrow. He understands. What is most amazing is that He faced these difficulties not as a result of life's circumstances, but by choice and submission to God the Father's will. This year I have greatly enjoyed Bebo Norman's new Christmas CD. The song "Born to Die" is speaking to me powerfully, as it touches upon Christ's sacrifice from the moment of His birth.
If you are experiencing a blue Christmas this year, read Isaiah 53 and cling to Christ's work and suffering for you. His pain brings Christians hope, redemption, life and a promise of heaven. This is how we can find joy and peace in the midst of a blue Christmas.
6 comments:
When I was reading your entry, all I could think about was James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." These verses remind me that I need to face the trials of life with joy. I know that I have been given a gift in Christ that is far better than anything I may face on this side of heaven. But the verses I quoted are more specific by noting that trials bring patience.
Later, James says in verse 12 - "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." So, on top of patience being granted, if one endures, look at the reward - that would seem to be something to be joyful about.
The question that seems to keep coming up for me lately is: "Is my perspective wrong?" In other words, I tend to fall into the worldly perspective all too often only to be reminded later that I should be using a eternal perspective. My time on this earth is only temporary, as it is for all humans, so 1.) what am I doing with my time here and 2.) why do I fail to be joyful for what I have and instead concentrate on what I have lost.
I need to be careful here, too. I'm not saying that it is wrong to ever have sorrow in our lives. Sorrow does happen but it should be tempered with the knowledge of what we do have.
Sorry, for the long reply. I hope this was clear.
Mark
Knowing that Jesus is familiar with suffering and sorrows makes it that much more comforting to know that we can go to him during our trials and sorrows.
Great post!
Great post, Chiara! What do you and Ryan use for a Bible study? Mike and I are looking to try something new.
And, I am so sorry to hear you came down with the stomach flu! I am praying for a speedy recovery :)
Excellent point Chiara. How neat that your devotional highlighted the fact that suffering and loss are very real, and that Christ himself had to experience those feelings. It's eye opening what our Savior had to go through. Thanks for your sharing! love, kate
Again, a great post!!!
I had tears reading this, as one who has been in the trenches recently and so heartbroken over watching countless others suffer (my latest blog post is on this very same subject). I am finally encouraged and have SUCH a different perspective on Christmas entirely. I am able to more clearly see Christ's sacrifice in Christmas rather than just his birthday party. Mark - I also love and have long since memorized James 1:2-4 and love that you chose to write on that. We may not always have "happiness" which is fleeting and based on circumstance but true JOY comes from our gift in Christ as you put it. I would think also, as Ryan said, that Christ can so clearly relate to suffering that He does understand. I don't have my bible handy but does anyone know the verse...1 Peter??? where it says "Though you may grieve for a time..." and do you know if that meant that it was okay to grieve but not to get stuck there?? Any thoughts? I will look it up in my study bible tomorrow.
Thanks to you for another encouraging posting Chiara. You are wonderful and I'm so thankful for you. :)
Jen
Hi Jen! Good memory on that verse--I Peter 1:6-7, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." I definitely believe grief is an okay feeling, as even Christ experienced it on earth--grieving over Jerusalem and those that were rejecting Him. The beauty is that, though we grieve and hurt, we cling to Christ and trust God's plans for us all the more, knowing we have no control over the situation and His plans are best for us. God already knows if our faith is genuine or not, so the trial helps us see if we are truly trusting in God . . . or not.
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