This Christmas is a time of grief for my family. Multiple empty places where loved ones once filled, beautiful memories turned bittersweet, and perplexities that fill the silence. Earlier this month, as I was prayerfully attempting to come to terms with the death of a[nother] family member during the holidays, this thought kept coming to mind, “This is what Jesus came for.” He came that we would not grieve without home. In coming to take away the sins of the world, in coming to reconcile us to God, he gave us an eternal hope and comfort as we live in a world that constantly shoots us with the arrows of suffering.
Christmas isn’t a time only meant for jolly frivolity, it is a time when we proclaim the one who has “borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). This poem was inspired by these thoughts and by the Christmas sermons over the past few weeks in which my pastors faithfully reminded us that Christ’s coming isn’t just generally good news, but personally life transforming news.
So if (like me) you’re feeling a little out of place in holiday celebrations because you’ve been living in the trenches of suffering, this poem was written for you.
For Unto You
Joyous cries of delight
have become crimson eyes.
Christmas cheer is melted
by painful last goodbyes.
While singing fills the air,
you see that empty chair,
empty bed, empty heart –
a loving warmth stripped bare.
When your joy becomes tears,
when hopes turn into fears,
and it feels like Christmas
is for those who believe in fairytales,
Remember that unto you,
unto you a Savior was born
who will wipe away your tears.
Lights and celebrations –
not when your world is shaken.
No more merry and bright,
No cheer on this dark night.
The magic of Christmas
that twinkled in our eyes
grows dark with each new year
as those we dearly love
are no longer here.
Sad hearts can learn to sing
and painful ashes bring
without fear at Christmastime.
For Christ came to them,
To those in suffering.
When you forget how to hear
the joyful accolades
and it feels like Christmas
is for those who live in a dream,
remember that unto you,
unto you a Savior was born,
who came to be your peace.
Hope in the Ashes 