HoHum:
“Blue Christmas” is one of the all time holiday classics each year during Christmas time. The heartbreaking song captures how lonely the season can be without the one we love, which is probably why it’s been a staple for over 70 years. The song was written in 1948. The most famous version was by Elvis Presley and released in November 1964. “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you. I’ll be so blue just thinking about you. Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree, won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here with me. And when those blue snowflakes start falling. That’s when those blue memories start calling. You’ll be doing all right, with your Christmas of white, but I’ll have a blue, blue, blue Christmas.”
WBTU:
I think we need to start this most wonderful time of the year talking about what makes us blue. For our family it is loss. The loss of PawPaw. He died on July 1, 2021. Last year the Christmas holiday was a blur. A few weeks before we were told that Crystal got the job as Resident Director of Johnson Hall so we were in the midst of packing and closing things out in Cincinnati. Don’t get me wrong, we celebrated as a family on that day but after that we were back at it. Have more time for reflection this year. While working in hospice, one year I did a talk on Surviving the Holidays for the bereaved. Always looking at grief and bereavement material and I was shocked one day when I heard a trusted source say that we cannot bring comfort to those who have experienced loss. What? What is the point of trying to put all of these talks together, going over the details, setting up the room to encourage participation, what was that person talking about? Give an explanation in a few minutes. Let’s read Isaiah 40:1-2
C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “Comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. It if look for truth, you may find comfort in the end. If you look for comfort, you will get neither comfort nor truth- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.” The word comfort in Isaiah 40 is a little misleading in contemporary English. When we think of comfort, we think of sitting on a beach watching the waves and enjoying our favorite drink or if it is winter we see ourselves sitting in a lazy boy recliner before a roaring fire. There is a comforter spread over us while we sip hot coco and read a book. We think of being comfortable. To bring comfort to someone is to take away their pain and make them feel better. Here is the kicker with grief and loss, we cannot take away another’s emotional suffering or make them feel better about their loss. That is the work of God. The reason we are not comforted in our trials is because we often seek comfort from other sources than God himself. God comforts us through revealing to us who He really is.
In Isaiah 40, God desires to comfort His people. In the first 39 chapters of Isaiah the message is anything but comforting. It is a message of judgement against nations, kingdoms, cities and people. However, in chapter 40 we have a change in the focus. Now it is to comfort God’s people after their trials, testings and losses.
Thesis: Our comfort from God is based on... (from Isaiah 40:1-2)
For instances:
I. Upon a relationship with God himself. Vs. 1
It is the Lord’s desire to comfort His people.
He brings comfort and He says this twice for emphasis.
He calls them “My people”; there is no comfort for those who are not His. Oh, people try but “the help of man is worthless.” Psalms 60:11, NIV.
He commits himself to us with the phrase, “Says your God.” Here we see the basis for God’s comfort in our relationship to Him and His to us! “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Psalms 119:50, NIV.
It is His design to use His servants to bring God’s comfort
God wants to use us to bring His comfort to His people; He gave this command to Isaiah.
I thought we cannot bring comfort to people. True, but look at these verses. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4, NIV. This all comes from God. Need to share the Lord from whence the comfort comes.
All the suffering, all the trials, everything we go through is for a purpose!
David Eveland Sr. shared how much it means to him to pray and then get the Lord’s comfort.
II. Upon God’s loving response toward us. vs. 2a
God understands our need. Speak tenderly literally means to speak to the heart.
Have we ever been speaking to someone, perhaps sharing some real heart wrenching need, and have them change the subject? Or just leave?
It is a comfort to know that God will never lose interest in us... He understands our needs. “He looked beyond my faults and saw all my needs”
God is able to meet any need. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19, NIV.
III. Upon Specific reasons. Vs. 2b and c
The promise of peace. Some translations say that her warfare has ended, NIV says that her hard service has been completed. In the immediate context this is talking about the Babylonian captivity. Warfare and hardship can have a redemptive purpose. This message of comfort is not finished by the deliverance of Israel from Babylon. In fact, this would only bring temporary peace. Ultimately, this message of comfort must look further into the future of Christ’s coming. Advent is talking about the Lord’s coming. Think of first advent around Christmas but also need to think about the Lord’s second Advent or coming.
We have peace with God. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1, NIV.
We also have the peace of God. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7, NIV.
The payment for sin. Her sin has been paid for. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1, 2. Atoning sacrifice also means propitiation- a gift that turns away wrath. Jesus took the wrath for us. Even so, propitiation does not equal application! Christ’s blood cleanses all sin, but all sinners are not cleansed! The blood must be applied. There to my heart was the blood applied, glory to his name! We must individually come to Christ through repentance, confession and baptism. Even so, there is no way that we can cause God to forgive us on the basis of anything that we do! The comfort of God’s forgiveness is based on our relationship with God! “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV.
Punishment for sins. She has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. How can this be, many questions? “In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.” Exodus 22:9, NIV. The Law of Moses said that to make restitution for stolen property, the thief had to pay back double. When the thief paid back double then the matter was over, restitution had been made. Jesus paid the price for our sins so now we and God are even. Even if Jesus paid double for us (he paid a high price of suffering for us), we are redeemed by his blood.
So what?
MawMaw only put up the manager last year. I think she was right in doing so. Emphasize the reason for the season, the reason for Christmas. If there weren’t pain, suffering, sin, destruction, discouragement, and death, (if those things did not exist) then there would be no need for Christmas. This holiday is about suffering, this holiday is about pain. Now we have made this a holiday of celebration and that is right because we celebrate the coming of the Messiah. When we do that we might forget why he came. He came to end suffering, sin, brokenness, pain death, destruction and discouragement. This is the sufferer’s holiday. This is not the holiday to be avoided, those who are grieving should run toward Christmas. What Christmas tells me is that there is hope for those who are bereaved. Christmas tells me that God has, will and will continue to address what we are going through (Immanuel). Jesus came to deal with the source of our suffering and that source is sin. Sin has come into our world and the wages of sin is death. Jesus’ birth began God’s plan to deal with sin. Only God could solve our sin problem. Jesus came and lived a perfect life and then he died for us satisfying God’s wrath against us. Jesus rose again conquering sin and death. Must receive the gift of Jesus- given a gift but each one must open it. How do we open this gift? Through faith. What is faith? 2 parts of faith; One is inactive- believe what the angel told Joseph- “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”” Matthew 1:21, NIV. The other part of faith is active. Repent, confess and be baptized. “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’” Acts 22:16, NIV. Still an unopened gift under the tree? What are we going to do with it?
