Tidings of Comfort and Joy — The Spacious Place
Christmas is upon us, and once again we feel like there’s not enough time to get everything done. There are work parties and school performances, Secret Santa gifts to buy and bushes needing lights, cookies to bake and presents to wrap.
I felt especially pressed this year as I had surgery just before Thanksgiving, and we held our family Christmas gathering six days early while everyone was in town. Where did the time go? It didn’t feel nearly long enough to squeeze it all in.
Every year I lament the way Christmas comes earlier to our retail spaces. It seems like they are putting up frosted trees while I’m still enjoying summer. But this year it seemed to come earlier on a different front. I know many people who decided to decorate their homes in early November. At first I scoffed. But then I began to ponder why this might be.
Here’s my conclusion. Many people are struggling—with finances, with mental health, with isolation, with…life.
There is a great need for comfort, and despite the stress and anxiety that may accompany the Christmas hustle, there is a flip side. Many of the traditional trappings of Christmas are comforting. A beautifully lit tree, a crackling fire, warm seasonal beverages, Christmas music. These things can be wonderfully calming.
With this in mind, our family put our tree up before Thanksgiving for the first time ever. We decked the halls while it was still 70 degrees in North Carolina. I’m not going to lie—I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
Unfortunately, when we are in need of comfort, there are a million ways to find it in the wrong places. The false comforts of promiscuity, pornography, excessive drinking…eating…shopping. The list is endless. So maybe some early Christmas lights aren’t so bad.
But cozy Christmas decorations aren’t a true source of comfort and joy. All of these delightful trimmings merely point to the One who is the source. If we miss the connection, we miss receiving any lasting comfort.
But we need not worry. The comforter has come.
His arms of love are open wide, and he is more than willing to meet you in your struggles. He will not leave you comfortless. This is the promise of Christmas!
If you are in need of comfort today, pray with me:
Loving Father, thank you for making a way for comfort to enter our aching world through the gift of your Son. Thank you for the tenderness of your love that is like no other.
Jesus, thank you for bringing us comfort and joy through your life on Earth and your death on the cross. Thank you for the wonderful mystery of dwelling with and in us. Emmanuel!
Holy Spirit, thank you for being an ever-present source of comfort. Thank you helping us to comfort others who are in need.
May you receive the incomparable comfort of the unfailing love of God today!
Bonus: Here’s a beautiful song that’s been touching my heart all week. Listen to Molly Skaggs and Cageless Birds new song “Comfort and Joy”
