On Friday the 14th of December 2012, the world once again was shocked by a tragic story that happens at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, US. A 20 year old, Adam Lanza killed his mother and then drove to the school and shot students and employees before killing himself. There were 28 brutally killed. More on the story can be read from the wikipedia here.
The story above is just one of the sad story that happen in this month where people is celebrating Christmas. Broken relationship, struggling with chronic illness, or grieving the death of someone we loved are another sad things that might be very real to some of us in this Christmas season. The world tries to color the christmas season with glitter atmosphere. The world sings jingle bells, because it supposed to be a happy jolly season. The reality shows the otherwise, isn’t it an irony? At this moment, some people might say “Where is God? Is there God? Isn’t the Bible mentioned about Immanuel (God with us)? How can we believe that Jesus is the Messiah? is He really the God-Man?” Such thoughts might cross to some of people’s mind or occurred in their lips because of such agony that we personally feel.
Those who did not experience such pain, can only sympathize and pray for them. The bible told us that on the first christmas day, such event of massacre had happen. The famous story of christmas has such tragedy in it as well. It was a mass murderer of all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under. At those times what’s heard is a loud voice of weeping and lamentation. They are weeping for their children, and refused to be comforted, because they are no more. This is what the scripture told us about what happen on that day - Jesus came to this world and there is a massacre, Jesus came when our hearts are filled with brutal loss, He came when when we feel such agony or pain. Isn’t that an irony? Again should it be a happy season? why suffering instead of happiness?
That’s the reality of this world. The nature of sin is to do destruction in this world - and that is the purpose of why Jesus came. The world needs nothing else but a Savior. When the angel and the multitude of the heavenly host appeared to the shepherds, they praised God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). Where is peace when there is suffering? What does the verse refer to when it speaks of peace: peace with who? Jesus, God became man, came to this world to fulfil this purpose: as a prince of peace - to make a peace relationship between God and us human. He came so that we can have peace with God; to be reconciled with God - so that we won’t face a much worse pain that we already had which is condemnation. The very core of human heart has been destroyed by sin - and as an effect, we see this evil act: massacre. Because of sin our life has become so miserable, and the scripture told us that the wages of sin is death. Death will haunt us, and no one can escape from death. Eternal death will be our portion if there is no Savior. Jesus is our Savior, and He came to reconcile us with God so that we won’t have eternal death but instead having an eternal life. He was born to die to conquer the death itself, so that everyone that trust in Him might be resurrected as He has been resurrected as well. As Jesus has won the battle, we also will win the battle as death will have no sting over us when we are in Him.
As we see lots of evil work in this world, as we see suffering in this world, the bigger they are, it will just magnify His power to save us. This is the reality of a sinful world, and this reality encourage us that we need nothing else except a savior, Jesus Christ who is the Son of God. He is the prince of peace - and through Him, we will have an everlasting life. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
When we have such suffering in this christmas season, Jesus came to deal with our grief. No one else can heal our wounds and sorrow like He can heal. When we are at the moment of grief, we are reminded that it is part of what happen in the first Christmas - that He is a compassionate God who came. He knows our suffering as He also suffers for our sin. He is a savior that knows our grief, as He has taken up the lowest that we could imagine: to die on the cross for us. On this Christmas, once again we should praise Him, as through Him we have hope. Let your grief become a hope in Him, and for those who does not experience grief, let your heart be open to those who grief, pray for them. Let us all praised Him who come in a manger to die for us, to save us from this sinful world.
Before i close, i would like to share a recent video: a poem made by John Piper called “The Innkeeper”. It is a story about Christmas which i recently found. It really inspires me to understand scripture reads Christmas as a days of tears clothed with grace. It is really a grace in disguise i would say. Please reflect on the video below:
John Piper Reads "The Innkeeper" (English subtitles) from Desiring God on Vimeo.
~ Soli Deo Gloria
Paul
The story above is just one of the sad story that happen in this month where people is celebrating Christmas. Broken relationship, struggling with chronic illness, or grieving the death of someone we loved are another sad things that might be very real to some of us in this Christmas season. The world tries to color the christmas season with glitter atmosphere. The world sings jingle bells, because it supposed to be a happy jolly season. The reality shows the otherwise, isn’t it an irony? At this moment, some people might say “Where is God? Is there God? Isn’t the Bible mentioned about Immanuel (God with us)? How can we believe that Jesus is the Messiah? is He really the God-Man?” Such thoughts might cross to some of people’s mind or occurred in their lips because of such agony that we personally feel.
Those who did not experience such pain, can only sympathize and pray for them. The bible told us that on the first christmas day, such event of massacre had happen. The famous story of christmas has such tragedy in it as well. It was a mass murderer of all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under. At those times what’s heard is a loud voice of weeping and lamentation. They are weeping for their children, and refused to be comforted, because they are no more. This is what the scripture told us about what happen on that day - Jesus came to this world and there is a massacre, Jesus came when our hearts are filled with brutal loss, He came when when we feel such agony or pain. Isn’t that an irony? Again should it be a happy season? why suffering instead of happiness?
That’s the reality of this world. The nature of sin is to do destruction in this world - and that is the purpose of why Jesus came. The world needs nothing else but a Savior. When the angel and the multitude of the heavenly host appeared to the shepherds, they praised God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). Where is peace when there is suffering? What does the verse refer to when it speaks of peace: peace with who? Jesus, God became man, came to this world to fulfil this purpose: as a prince of peace - to make a peace relationship between God and us human. He came so that we can have peace with God; to be reconciled with God - so that we won’t face a much worse pain that we already had which is condemnation. The very core of human heart has been destroyed by sin - and as an effect, we see this evil act: massacre. Because of sin our life has become so miserable, and the scripture told us that the wages of sin is death. Death will haunt us, and no one can escape from death. Eternal death will be our portion if there is no Savior. Jesus is our Savior, and He came to reconcile us with God so that we won’t have eternal death but instead having an eternal life. He was born to die to conquer the death itself, so that everyone that trust in Him might be resurrected as He has been resurrected as well. As Jesus has won the battle, we also will win the battle as death will have no sting over us when we are in Him.
As we see lots of evil work in this world, as we see suffering in this world, the bigger they are, it will just magnify His power to save us. This is the reality of a sinful world, and this reality encourage us that we need nothing else except a savior, Jesus Christ who is the Son of God. He is the prince of peace - and through Him, we will have an everlasting life. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
When we have such suffering in this christmas season, Jesus came to deal with our grief. No one else can heal our wounds and sorrow like He can heal. When we are at the moment of grief, we are reminded that it is part of what happen in the first Christmas - that He is a compassionate God who came. He knows our suffering as He also suffers for our sin. He is a savior that knows our grief, as He has taken up the lowest that we could imagine: to die on the cross for us. On this Christmas, once again we should praise Him, as through Him we have hope. Let your grief become a hope in Him, and for those who does not experience grief, let your heart be open to those who grief, pray for them. Let us all praised Him who come in a manger to die for us, to save us from this sinful world.
Before i close, i would like to share a recent video: a poem made by John Piper called “The Innkeeper”. It is a story about Christmas which i recently found. It really inspires me to understand scripture reads Christmas as a days of tears clothed with grace. It is really a grace in disguise i would say. Please reflect on the video below:
John Piper Reads "The Innkeeper" (English subtitles) from Desiring God on Vimeo.
~ Soli Deo Gloria
Paul
Comments