Dealing with the Christmas Blues

Mary and Martha were a bundle of emotions. Their beloved brother died and the one man they were convinced could have saved him dallied while Lazarus lay on his deathbed. They were distraught.

Martha was convinced that her brother would ultimately be resurrected at a future date, but right now she was desperate to keep him a bit longer. When Jesus arrived several days later at the home of his friend, Lazarus was already in the tomb.

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died," each woman told Jesus in separate conversations. In Mary's case, Scripture tells us she fell at His feet, a woman overcome with grief.

Their grief, and his own, prompted Jesus to display His broken heart. In John 11:35 we are told simply: "Jesus wept."

Ultimately, Jesus performed a miracle and Lazarus came back to life. 

While the story of Lazarus' resurrection — and the dramatic demonstration of Christ's power — is the cornerstone of this miracle, there is another valuable lesson that is often lost in its telling. In verse 19, God's word says, "and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother." 

From the beginning, man was made for connectedness, in good times and in bad. That means we walk with one another during times of sorrow and grief. We carry each other's burdens just as Jesus took on ours.

Last year, our church initiated a new Christmas service called a Night of Hope. It's modeled after what they call a blue Christmas service. It's a night of music and worship designed for those who are brokenhearted or "blue."

I remember sitting in the back of the sanctuary praying and watching as one of my good friends navigated Christmas after losing her mother just six weeks earlier. My heart was breaking for her. I was also coping with my own grief as Mom was beginning to show signs of fragility. 

"I'm starting to lose pieces of her before my eyes," I told a friend sitting next to me. "We are in for a long haul."

Two months later, after a stroke, Mom graduated from this life to heaven. Despite the assurance that we will be together again, the level of grief has surprised me in ways that no wordsmith can convey.

I am reminded of a Bible verse I memorized as a fifth grader. It shows us that God cares for the sorrowing, and He calls us to minister to and serve them.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the
    brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to
    those who are bound.
                                          (Isaiah 61:1)

In these few remaining days before Christmas, consider those in your circle who are brokenhearted. Bind their wounds through prayer, then reach out with a card or text letting them know you have done so. Search for other ways to bring comfort.

Have you benefited from such love, such sacrifice, as you grieve a loss? Consider reaching out to let them know how much you appreciate their support. 

"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 receive from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, New International Version).

All Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
Photo at top by Mike Labrum/Unsplash.

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Lori Arnold serves as the senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.

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