Let’s
face it. Sometimes it seems impossible
to have ourselves “a holly-jolly Christmas.”
As much
as I love Christmas and its entire festive atmosphere, eventually reality sets
in. I don’t consider myself a Scrooge or
a Grinch, yet how quickly I am reminded that the life doesn’t always parallel
the cheery Christmas glee spoken of in so many carols. From the mundane things—like kids fighting
over who gets to hang which Christmas tree ornament; or to the permanent—this being
the first Christmas in which we have to remember the life of my beloved
Grandmother. At some point this
Christmas, you and I will feel the weight and squeeze of
a real world. Although the eggnog by the
fireside might bring some temporary comfort, the aches and pains of our real
lives won’t go away.
This
week’s text is sobering. I am still
wrestling with it as I write this. It’s
part of the Christmas story, no doubt.
Yet, it’s brutally honest.
Matthew points us to the world into which Jesus Christ was born. It was not a holly-jolly atmosphere. Rather, it was a world filled with suffering
and sin. Matthew 2:16-18 describes the
massacre of young boys by King Herod. In
an attempt to squelch any threat, Herod embarks in evil.
I’m not
finished with the sermon, and am praying through what Matthew has in store for
us. What I can say is that I am glad
that Matthew is honest. He shows us the
core dilemma of our human situation: suffering and sin. This is real life. This is where we need a real savior to show up
and rescue us.
As we
prepare for this week's sermon, I encourage us to read Jeremiah 30-31. These two chapters are referred to as the
“Book of Comfort.” Amazingly, this seemingly
horrific text in Matthew’s Gospel comes from a part of the Old Testament that
rings of great and amazing hope! There
are wonderful promises—promises of the forgiveness of sin and the conquest of
evil.
1.
How
do you react to suffering? What is the
suffering you might be facing right now?
2.
What
comforts you? What brings you relief? Be honest—no Sunday School answers.
3.
Where
does God meet you in those trials and afflictions?
4.
When
you read Jeremiah 30-31, what promises do you hear from God about you? Your sin?
Your suffering? The evil in the
world?
5.
What
is your only hope?
