This is my special Christmas blog. My hope for you is that this year God will give you a new insight into the amazing coming of Christ. God wants to do a new thing in each of our lives. I encourage you to study the passages mentioned below in Hebrews.
It’s easy to let Christmas become about families, about the gift of a child being born in a manager, about celebrating in a myriad of ways. But there is always more to this special event than meets the eye. Sometimes we need to ask God to open our eyes and show us fresh things about this incredible day — things we may not have considered before.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
Several years ago He opened my eyes to see Christmas Eve in a different light.
It was our first Christmas as truly “empty nesters.” Our youngest, the twins, had both married the previous summer and for this particular Christmas, all 5 of our kids were going to be with their in-law families for the holidays.
I grew up in a large family and married into one as well so I had never been alone for Christmas. For me, Christmas meant being surrounded by lots of people and lots of love. However this year, we would be alone for the first time.
An acquaintance said to me, “Oh Susan you and John can have a romantic time, just the two of you together.” I don’t think she realized my husband was a pastor of a very large church and Christmas is not a quiet, romantic time of “roasting chestnuts by an open fire” for ministry families. Instead, it’s a time when people’s lives fall apart, you are overbooked with preparations and emergencies and your husband is most likely grumpy because his sermon isn’t ready.
As Christmas Eve approached, I was sad. I knew John would be gone most of the day and arrive home about 2am exhausted and fall into bed. Friends asked me over but I felt I wanted to be alone with the Lord. After attending one of our Christmas Eve services, I wrapped myself in a blanket and with my cup of tea and Bible and I curled up all alone on the couch in front of a lovely tree twinkling with white lights.
Once again I turned to 2 of my favorite passages — Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 4. These passages are similar. They remind us that Jesus Christ has experienced everything that we have yet without sin. It is because of this that we can draw near with confidence to find help in our times of need. (Hebrews 2:17-18 & 4:15-16) For many years I have gone to these passages asking for insight into things I was experiencing. Tonight I whispered, “Ok Lord where did you experience the empty nest? How can you know what I’m feeling?”
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler on Pexels.
And then it hit me.
While we were celebrating the birth of our Savior in a manger, God was grieving the loss of 24/7 companionship with His only son with whom He had created the universe.
In emptying my nest, I was sending my children off to good things. He, on the other hand, was sending His son into a world where he would be rejected, persecuted, spit upon, mocked, and ultimately crucified. And He was choosing to do this. Oh my. For the first time, I thought about what Christmas Eve must have been like for our father God. How painful, how hard. His was a chosen pain wrapped in the greatest love ever given.
Out of His pain was to come the sacrifice for our sins. Forgiveness. For our heavenly Father, the birth of His son in a cradle would culminate in death on the cross. His was a journey from the Cradle to the Cross.
Since that night, I have never looked at Christmas Eve in quite the same way. Now I contemplate its cost.
Father, give to each of us eyes to see something new in this Holy season. Reveal yourself to us in fresh ways and may we love you more than we ever have before. Thank you for your precious Son.
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Thank you for this insight and reminder that we have such a Savior because of the Father’s love for each of us.
Hi Susan! Very much enjoyed reading this. Hebrews chapters referenced have blessed me often. Knowing Jesus would have experienced illness is comforting. Flu kept us from services yesterday. We were to have been Advent Candle reader/acolytes. I remembered something you said at Westminster about God using illness to slow us down and give us time to focus on Him. So true! Love to John. I would dearly love to see you again!!
Maybe, interesting take. But I feel HE never left they are one. The only time he was truly separated from God was on the cross. He had to leave him then.
Hey my friend, thanks for sharing! It is fun to
see the Christmas celebration of Jesus coming,
with new eyes. How are you doing? Praying for your back to heal beautifully.
Love & blessings, Holly
Thank you Mary! Yes Thy will be done. May you have a sweet Christmas.
Love, Susan
And thank you Holly! May technology is not doing well with my comments:)
I am doing well though thank be to God!love!
Thank you susan for offering Hebrews as a reminder of the deeper meaning of Christ’s birth and God’s plan for his beloved son. My prayer is “thy will be done “ and whatever comes it will be received with a greatfull heart. May god bless you and yours.
Thank you Susan for sharing this heartwarming message! May our heavenly Father speak powerfully to us in this Advent season! I pray that we God’s children seek him in this busy, busy, and for many sad season. Blessings and love to you and your wonderful family! Please give John a hug for us!
Becky,
So great to hear from you. I pray all is well with your family.
You are sweet to take the time to write. That means so much!
Love, Susan
A lovely reminder of what is important, Susan. I recall our first Christmas when the children were with their in-laws as being a challenging time. But I recall the many holidays my own parents (whom I am blessed to visit this Christmas) must have felt the same way with their own children (including me) being with their in-laws.
My children are growing up and the empty nest is looming. It is the experience of others who have handled this situation with grace that gives me hope. This is one more piece that encourages me. Thank you for sharing your insights! And to Bishop Neil for sharing you with us!
~Sheila
Making the Most of Every Day
Thank you Susan. I remember that Christmas. Much love, Judy
Thank you for this, Susan! The price of Christmas has recently come into my heart as well. I am so in awe of God’s love for us!
Wow…I could barely read this through to the end as my eyes were tearing so!! The deph of pain, sadness at what had to be…because he loved us…and his son! Christmas Eve can be a time of mixed emotions: gratitude, sadness, love, loneliness and peace. Thank you for sharing your insight. Powerful stuff!♡♡♡
I’m reading this moving message on my own, beloved son’s birthday! And that amplified its meaning for me. Thank you for that new perspective. I always think of the cross amidst our Christmas jubilations, but I never thought of the Father’s pain the night He relinquished His Son to earth to suffer and die. A new meaning-a new reason to lift my hands in gratitude to Him.
This is a lovely message. It touched my heart.
My your Christmas be holy and blessed.
New and profound insight. Much to meditate on: that God loved us so much He chose to become an “empty nester”. Thanks for passing along your revelation.
Christmas Eve, “Now, I contemplate its cost.” Wow. I will never look at it in quite this same way for having read this beautiful Christmas message. Thank you, dear Susan. Merry Christmas.
Susan, you’ll never know how much this touched me! The timing is perfect… This will be my 68th Christmas, but the FIRST with no family around except my dear husband. The Hebrews verses were the absolute capstone for me in ‘re-framing ‘ my sadness and disappointment, after weeks of making some but surely not enough progress with that. May you be as blessed as I was by reading it!
Hey Susie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!!! I am so glad you were blessed!!!
Love Susan