Also, our church publishes a daily devotional reading for each day in the advent season. Justin was asked to write an entry for this year's publication. I love my husband for many reasons, but his sweet heart and love for God are at the top of the list. I found his devotional saved on our computer, and I wanted to share it with our friends and family during this special holiday season.
Christmas Mourning?
by Justin Jones
I’ve always loved the traditions, the food, the gifts, and all of the “hustle and bustle” surrounding Christmas. When my children came along, the unthinkable happened: Christmas got even better! The wonder and excitement in their eyes was more enchanting than anything I had experienced at Christmas before.
Consequently, I was perplexed by something that I heard several years ago on a family radio program. The hosts of the show said that the Christmas season can be one of the most emotionally trying times of the year for people. I could not imagine how such a joyous time of year could be so challenging.
Now, however, I know. My father passed away last October. That first Christmas without him was hard, but I’m not sure that reality had really sunk in yet. As we approach another Christmas, it hit me that Christmas morning last year was not an isolated event. Anyone who has lost a loved one doesn’t just miss them on the first Christmas without them. They miss them every Christmas. And so, Christmas can be an emotionally difficult time of year.
The good news, though, is that it doesn’t have to be. Scripture tells us that followers of Christ do not have to mourn “like those who have no hope,” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) for we have a blessed hope, indeed.
The baby born in Bethlehem that we read about in the gospels was no ordinary child, but Immanuel-“God with us” (Matthew 1:23). In holding that sweet baby boy in her arms, Mary held the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and Savior of the world. Paul tells us in Colossians that Jesus Christ
“is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20)
That’s the One in whom my father trusted, the One who was born to die to make peace between man and God, the only One who could and did save him – and can save you, too.
This year we selected a very special advent calendar for our family to use during the month of December. In each of the drawers there is a magnetic piece to add to our nativity background. We hope that building this Christmas scene day by day will be a tradition that we can start with our kids for many years to come and help us to keep our focus on the true reason for celebration this Christmas season.
