Good News

'Tis the season.

I couldn't count how many times I say or hear this phrase these days.

Buying ridiculous things for ridiculous prices...
Eating extra desserts and skipping the gym...
Scheduling 6 different holiday parties...
...and ensuring you're exhausted until January 17... 'tis the season, right?

And then, there are the songs.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
...parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow...

And we buy it, don't we?

If we get that great gift, or host that perfect party, it will be the absolutely most wonderful time of the year. The more people you're around, the more exhausted you are, the more successful the Christmas season will be.

Honestly? I can't argue with that. Starting this Friday I'm booked solid until I fly to visit my family (where I will, most definitely, be booked solid as well). Friday marked for me the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year.

Until my phone went off this morning. It was a dear friend of mine from college. Why she was texting me at 6am, I was rather curious.

"Can you pray for my family? My aunt and uncle were killed last night and my cousin is in critical care."

That's all the text read.

Still think it's the most wonderful time of the year?

Merry Christmas, an entire branch of her family is gone.
Killed.
What's worse?
It was a murder-suicide.

Her uncle shot his wife and daughter, then turned the gun on himself.

A unbelievably harsh reality during a season we all hope to use as an escape.

But let me plea with you. Just because it is Christmas, it is not automatically merry. Just because people smile and hum along with the songs played in Target, it does not mean they are jolly.

For many, Christmas is a reminder of just how dark their world really is.
For some, Christmas unveils the deepest hurts a person has experienced.

Just three days ago I received my friend's Christmas card and posted it on my fridge. We talked and I hoped to see her while I was back in Boston for Christmas.
Grab a cup of coffee.
Talk about life.
Get excited about all that's going on for each of us.

But now?
I want to rush to her house.
Embrace her.
Cry with her.
Ask God to give her comfort and strength in such a dark time.

A dark time?

But it's Christmas.

Today, people still bustled about.
Credit cards were swiped.
Holiday jingles played in every store.
Everyone around me went on with their day as if Christmas made them immune to life's cruelties.

But life doesn't take a holiday.
Usually, it gets a little darker, sharper, and little more lonely this time of year.

Tonight at a coffee shop I heard "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" at least three times. It took all I had within me to not burst into tears in the middle of Barnes & Noble.

No, it's not.
It is not the most wonderful time of the year.
Not for my friend, for her family, or for her cousin that is struggling to survive in ICU. Even if she wakes up, her father tried to kill her and succeeded in killing her mom and himself.

But the cruel reality?
This isn't the only death that will take place this Christmas.
This isn't the only family that will feel heartbreak and confusion while others skip about through stores.
This isn't the only dark moment in what is supposedly the brightest of times.

But, the good news?
Yes, exactly.

The good news.

The good news is that Christmas has nothing to do with feeling jolly, or seasonal lattes, jewelry, big screen TVs, and a new Lexus.
It has nothing to do with the material craze we obsess over on Black Friday.
It has absolutely nothing to do with how many presents you can get or give away.

No, the good news is that although we are desperate, we are given hope.
The good news is that humanity has always been desperate, and God gave us a way out.
The good news is that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.
The good news is the reason we celebrate.

Jesus.
He is the Good News.

--

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on who his favor rests."

Luke 2:8:-14

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So, whether you're familiar with the story or not, let me encourage you to dig into the Good News this Christmas season. It's a story with hope for the hopeless, light for those in darkness, and truth for those desperately in need. A Savior was born. A light was shone. Be encouraged this Christmas, for there is Good News.