December 16, 2006
Newsletter Archives

For many, Christmas is a happy time. But not for everyone. There are those who have lost loved ones since last Christmas, and this season is a time of grief and mixed feelings. Others have faced tragic events close to the holiday season. Christmas will resurrect sad memories and for them too, this is a somber season. A cloud will hang overhead, bringing a shadow that will only pass when the season is over.
Often these lonely souls go unnoticed by those who are preoccupied with the joy of the season. Hence they go through their grief alone.
We who expect to experience the joys of the holiday season ought to remember those who won’t. And while we seldom think about burdens at Christmas time, this is what the season is really all about. Christmas is actually about burden-bearing.
We are often so preoccupied with our own needs that we fail to see the needs of others. The Lord Jesus never did. His heart was always moved by the troubles of others. One day, as He looked on the crowd in their weariness, He gave the invitation, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. And that invitation still stands.
True, the Lord Jesus has gone back to heaven, but He still looks intently toward earth with a longing to take our burdens. Consequently, if we have no-one else to turn to in our time of sadness, he will still lift burdens from any who are willing to hand them over.
Above all, our greatest burden is our sin and this is the chief reason for the Lord Jesus coming into the world. The Bible states, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” 1 Timothy 1:15. If some live alone and have little company and few gifts at Christmas, they have no need to miss out on the greatest gift of all: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23.

Russ Nesbit