Maybe many of you would say it too: It’s been a hard year. 

And though I don’t like opening my “have a holly jolly Christmas letter” by telling you about the hard things—like finding out on New Years Day that my sister Janie died—that is the exact thing Christmas is for—God sent His Son through a tiny embryo in the womb of a virgin to earth to conquer death.

This is Christmas.

And, though we try our darndest, it’s often anything but holly and jolly. 

God, who in the beginning of creation, hovered over the dark chaos and birthed light when He spoke it: “Let there be light.” hovered over Mary’s womb to birth His Son—Light of the world—to dawn on our darkness and death.

Old Zachariah declared it over his miracle son, the final Old Testament prophet, John the Baptizer, who was to clear the ground to make a highway for God: 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.” — Luke 1:76-79

God tells us in Paul’s letter to the Romans that the wages of sin is death—and yet our earthly life goes on until our own fateful day—and then where will you go?

Graveside

Only a handful of people stood graveside to lower Janie’s vacant body into the earth. Five minutes on a snowy day to say goodbye, drop a carnation on the casket, hug and cry . . . and walk away—leaving her-but-not-her—there—among tree roots in dirt. 

Trees live longer than we do, unless we kill them to serve us comfort and joy and shelter. And don’t we tend to kill anything to serve us? We even kill our closest relations—not with swords, but by building walls— when we believe their thoughts might kill us. 

Why do we fear people’s thoughts?

We might put on a false front, but we really all know it deep down: we are vulnerable. We fear exposure. We fear thoughts about us, thoughts about politics. (and Covid and masks and vaccines and Trump and Trans and tolerance) And we fear thoughts about God.

Our fears reveal what we believe. Who and what we fear indicates who and what we worship. Or, to state it more plainly: who we hope will save us—who will rescue us from this body of death?

We feel it, don’t we? The inevitability of being lost in our sin. Death is coming for us all. 

But instead of turning to the God who loved us so much that He gave us His Sunshine, we run from the Light of the World by immersing ourselves in vanity; we turn to Southern Comfort or fake boobs or steroids … and when those don’t do it, there’s the latest “fad” of trans. 

“Maybe that will save me from this body of death,” we think. “Maybe people will love me then.”

Or how about I One-Up-the-Joneses? If people’s thoughts of me are “Wow! Look at him!” I will not feel death so much.

Maybe for you it’s not booze or boobs or bling. Maybe it’s being a good person. You’re sweet and kind and generous. But in that, is there an underlying self-centered motive? “I will be good in order to make myself feel good.”? Yeah, that was me.

Jesus, when he was Son of Man on earth in-the-flesh, stated to a man who called him a good teacher: “Why do you call me good? Only God is good” 

Every good and perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. –James 1:17

Ah! Someone who doesn’t change like the shifting shadow . . . like people’s opinions? 

Light is always Light with Him—even in the shadow of death? One whose steadfast love actually endures forever!?! Give me THAT! 

Give that to the one who wants and he will want no more. 

The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. –Joel 2:19

A generous giving-God whose goodness and mercy never change? Whether I’ve worshipped the false gods of human thought, booze, boobs or bling—or my self, He is always chasing me with His goodness and mercy and everlasting light.

Come to Me all who are weary and I will give you rest from all your silly striving to be comfortable and at peace without Me! I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. –Matthew 11:28-29

Eternal Hope and Joy

Ah, I know Janie’s eternal soul is at rest, dwelling high up in Heaven’s eternal light. She is not below, in death, eternal gloom and darkness—because she had received the Gift of Christmas many good and hard years before she died on New Years Day. She was only 53, but she had surrendered her life to Jesus—had admitted that she needed God to save her. 

She received the Gift, borne in a trough, Bread from Heaven. And she became a gift.

“I will go to Jesus, and He will give me His peace”

She reconciled with the holy God of love who is Almighty and can do all things—

“Save me from this body of death and raise me up in Him”—the One who is seated at the right hand of God—the sign of His victory over sin, death and the grave.

Yes, because of Christmas, I left the gravesite last January with an unquenchable peace—a certain hope of seeing my sister when I depart from my own aging body on the day of my death. 

Because of Jesus, the GIFT of God that came DOWN to rescue us from death. Will you receive Him too? He came for YOU!

And this Advent, as we wait for the arrival of Christmas, the message of John the Baptist is still the same message that clears the road in our hearts to make a highway for our God to come hover over our hearts and bring His light HOME in us: 

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Repent, turn around and move toward the Light. Your Father is waiting for you.

Jesus will return again soon to judge the living and the dead unto glory or unto condemnation. The glory-gift of God is eternal life IN Christ Jesus. Believe! Receive! When we receive Him we receive His mercy forever!! 

Sin, death, and the grave no longer have a hold on me! I can be free from fearing your thoughts and so I can free you from the burden of saving me—not that you could, even if you cared to.

The silent night brought heavenly peace! The Sun of righteousness has risen with healing in his wings! Emmanuel is here! And THAT, my friend, is greater than any holly-jolly, even in the face of death, it is eternal HOLY GLORY!! 

Merry Christmas to you, my friends, and even if it’s hard, eternal JOY is yours if you want Him! 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. –John 1:12-13