It’s official. Christmas is here.
Downtown Jonesborough, TN has been transformed into a Hallmark greeting card
picture with wreaths, greenery, bows, sleds, and the courthouse tree is adorned
with lights and has been officially lit. Yards are decorated with colored
lights, and the greens have been hung in churches and houses. Even some radio
stations have been playing only Christmas music for the last week, and will
continue to do so through the end of the month.
Yep, it’s
beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. Lights are
twinkling, stores are bustling, and music is playing. All reminding us of the
hope, peace, love, and joy of this special time of the year. A time where we
look back to Bethlehem and remember the first Advent (coming) of Jesus, and
also look forward to His second Advent. There is excitement in the air every
December.
But for
some people, this joyous time of the year is also clouded with sorrow and pain.
How do you revel in the celebration when your heart is still hurting from
recent loss of a loved one, or the financial burden your family is weighed down
under, or the doctor’s diagnosis? While the Hope of Christ is still paramount
in these situations, for some people the Christmas season brings a series of
divergent feelings and emotions.
How, as
Christians, and the church, can we offer the Hope and Joy while also
acknowledging the pain and suffering? Many churches have begun holding a “Longest
Night Service” to address the needs of their people during this time. This
service is held on or around the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the
year, and consequently the longest night of the year.
And in
the midst of making our lists, checking them twice, decking the halls, and dashing
through the snow, we can all feel a little worn down during the holiday season.
We know the Reason for the Season, and yet we go and do until we are sometimes
relieved when “it’s over”.
If you
have ever felt that way, I want to offer a few verses that can serve as your
Christmas Psalm this year. Let’s read Psalm 80 together. Now, let’s look at
verses 3, 7, and 19 again. Here they are from the NIV:
3-
Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
7-
Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
19-
Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be
saved.
The
common theme in the psalm, which was written as a song set to music, is the
chorus; in particular the words “restore us…that we may be saved”.
To
restore something means to put it back to its original condition. Maybe you
have restored an old car, or an old piece of furniture, but there the restoring
is talking about us, in particular our soul. Often times we seek God’s
restoration when things have gone bad, when we need to be put back to the ideal
of how He created us. Other times we seek God’s restoration when we are so
physically and mentally worn down that there is nothing left inside of us, we’re
empty. But what if we didn’t wait until then to seek God’s restoration? What if
this was our daily prayer this season, asking God to daily restore and fill and
re-create us? I think this could change how we live this season of Advent. And perhaps
we could all spiritually benefit from embracing the Longest Night of 2014,
knowing that there is a Light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness
cannot overcome this Light (John 1:5).
For
those in our community that are interested in a “Longest Night Service” of
reflective, prayerful, and meditative worship, Telford United Methodist Church
(1775 Old State Rt 34) will hold a “Longest Night Service” on Monday December
22 beginning at 5:30PM. There will not be any of the traditional Christmas
hymns during this service, but rather a time to turn to the Lord in honest and
open conversation through prayer, Scripture, and a congregational response of
lighting candles, as we remember these words of Jesus:
“I am
the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
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