FOR THIS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN JESUS

Isaiah 9:6
John 11:17-35

(As I prepared for  an upcoming Blue Christmas Service ...)

Thirty or so years after the angels, the stable, the shepherds, the star and the wise men, Jesus received the news that his friend, Lazarus, was dying.  Jesus took his time in arriving at Bethany for purposes known only to him and His father.  He knew how this particular story would end, but Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, and their friends did not.  The end they witnessed was Lazarus' death, and they wept with grief over their loss.

Jesus, knowing that rejoicing was on the way, had no reason to cry, but John 11:35 tells us "Jesus Wept."  But he stopped, gathered Mary and Martha and all their neighbors and realitives in with his compassion and love and shared their pain and their sorrow.

God in human flesh, whose birth we celebrate each year with lights and laughter and parities, wept with them.

I realize that this is a strange story to share during the Christmas season, but death, loss, hardship, illness, loneliness and sorrow are no respecters of any season.  They come to us at anytime of the year as part of life.

Life happens.  Sometimes it happens suddenly, and it happens painfully.  And for these times in our lives when the night seems too dark and too long, we have been given Jesus.

For the times when we lose our jobs and our hope, for the times when we're not sure if or when the bills will be paid -- for this, we have been given Jesus.

For the times we cannot sleep because the other side of the bed is empty, for the times we reach for the phone to share some news and realize the person we long to speak to is no longer there, for the times when old photographs bring us to tears -- for this, we have been given Jesus.

For the times when distance and life's busyness seperate us from friends and family, for the times there is an empty chair across the table from us -- for this, we have been given Jesus.

For the times when illness robs us of the energy and the joy of life, when sicness and aging bodies make us feel useless -- for this, we have been given Jesus.

We have been given Jesus:  Jesus, our Lord who walks with us through all events and seasons of our lives; Jesus, our savior, who bore not only our sins, but shares our troubles and our sorrows; Jesus, our good shepherd, who watches over us, comforts us, and stands with us through our darkest and longest valleys; Jesus, our redeemer, who promises that even from our mourning and our sorrow there will come hope and even joy.

Wherever we are at this moment in time, Jesus is with us.  Jesus gathers us in with his compassion and love, and while the world around us celebrates with lights and laughter and parties, Jesus weeps with us and offers us the gift of himself.

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