A Tangled Up Christmas: Finding God in our Sin-Sick World

I received the rare gift of a snow day yesterday. I slept until 8 a.m., enjoyed a leisurely reading of my Advent devotion, and sipped two cups of tea without the workday rush. I even threw in a load of laundry. My life seemed nearly perfect for about an hour. Then I pulled out my favorite (read: only) pair of Christmas jammies from the dryer. The ones I wear every Christmas morning while my hubby and kids unwrap gifts in front of a crackling fire in the wood stove. Half of the drawstring on the pants had shriveled from heat, bonded to the pants, and twisted into a tangled mess. And I thought, how perfectly fitting for this messy time of year when our unrealistic expectations often hit the wall of ugly reality.  

Flawed holiday pajamas are a first-world problem, to be sure, but they bring to mind the larger issues we all face. As the season unfolds, broken relationships, chronic illness, grief, and tragedy nudge their way into our Christmastime. To add insult to injury, radio stations, mailboxes, and social media feeds remind us of the overwhelming needs of our weary world. Soon, a niggling question embeds itself like a shard of glass in our hearts.

Where is God in all this suffering? Like doubters throughout the millennia, I’ve asked this question myself.

The answer is, in fact, simple if not easy: God is with us.

The prophet Isaiah reminded God’s people of this promise 700 years before Jesus’ birth:

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (which means God with us).

Years later, Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples (a tax-collector, so you can be sure he got the details right!), confirmed this prophecy in his gospel account:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

God. With. Us.

Friends, Yahweh sent his one and only son into the world as a helpless baby to be with us. This reality pricks tears and fills my heart with the joy and peace promised this season.

Although our hubris in the garden created an irreparably sin-sick world, the Lord offered us his perfect son to restore hope—to invite us into a relationship with our creator, to be with us.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:18

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. -Matthew 11:28-29

In our 21st-century chaos, we can ask Jesus to be with us—

in the hospital room

in lament

in the job search

in addiction

in chronic pain

in emptiness

in grief

in loss

in joy

in loneliness

in broken relationships

in betrayal

in sorrow

in trauma

in working through our past

in homelessness

in anxiety

in repentance

in hunger

in the counseling office

In our worship

in the diagnosis

in death

in depression

in abundance

in tough choices

in poverty

in unmet expectations

in infertility

in mental illness

in worry

in heartache

in the questions

Yes, we are not alone. Jesus Immanuel is with us. And our earthly suffering is not so much a problem to be solved as an opportunity to welcome Christ's comfort and joy.

His light pierces the darkness. His nearness satisfies our souls’ deepest longings. Invite Immanuel's peace into this tangled-up, jangled-up season. His presence brings a glorious hope that defies our weary world.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Until next time.

Your hope cheerleader,

📣

Sarah