Are You Singing The Christmas Blues?

"Why do people feel the blues around Christmas? It was never meant to be this way.” 

This time of year is especially difficult for many when a spouse or child has died and is no longer on the Christmas list. It is hard as well for those who have been stricken by the blows of loneliness, which seem to come every December. For others, family strife or failed expectations end up being the enemy of Christmas joy. Some people may sing, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” while others sing the Christmas Blues, “May all your days be merry; Your seasons full of cheer; But 'til it's January; I'll just go and disappear; Oh Santa may have brought you some stars for your shoes; But Santa only brought me the blues.” (Image from papyrus-uk.org)

Why do people feel the blues around Christmas? Have we inadvertently caused this with a hyper-focus on gifts, children, decorations and family gatherings? Christmas was never meant to be all wrapped up in all these types of things. We learn about its intent when we go back to the world’s first Christmas. The original Christmas story states, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ …And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:10-14, 20)

There was no Christmas blues for those unknown shepherds. Why? Because their focus was on Jesus. Their joy came from the news about Him.

At the same time, the first Christmas also had pain and sorrow. When evil King Herod heard of a competing King that had been born, he sought to execute Him by killing all baby boys two years old and younger. The mass killing of these children was anticipated, and a prophetic statement was made about it, “A voice was heard in Famah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children, she refused to be comforted because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18)

The anguish those families experienced was real. Can someone have the joy of Christmas while walking through such a dark valley? Here are seven principles to overcome the blues of Christmas. 1) Set your mind on Jesus. What you focus on affects your life. Give attention to the Light of the World. 2) Pray to the Lord God. When no one else will understand, He will. 3) Read the Bible. It is a supernatural book. Whatever you are walking through, God’s Word will speak to it. 4) Refuse to isolate yourself. God created us to engage with others, when we slide into isolation, we set ourselves on a dangerous path. 5) Give yourself to the service of others. Go and do something good for another person. 6) Limit your screen time on electronics. When we get on these devices for extended periods it can become a form of isolation that can lead to depression. 7) Do not be ruled by your feelings or emotions. There is one God, and it is not them.    

How can you set your mind on Jesus? Know Him personally. Realize you have fallen short of God’s standards and are subject to His judgement. Understand you can do nothing to save yourself, but are simply at His mercy. Know that Jesus came from heaven to earth in order to be that mercy for you. He died and rose again so you can be forgiven, set free and made new.

A prayer for you – Lord God, I pray you will lift our eyes above all the gifts, decorations and other holiday trappings. Help us to see you, the very reason for Christmas. Come alongside those weighed down by various trials, and bring them to call upon you in faith that they might walk in the joy of Christmas. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

America and The City of Babylon

“One day the judgement of God will come and Babylon, the city of man, will fall.”  

We are living in a nation where there are close to 30 million alcoholics, including millions of teenagers. In the last year, nearly 700,000 marriages and families were torn apart by divorce. There were over one million babies that had their lives taken from them inside their mother’s womb. There were almost 20,000 of our fellow citizens that were murdered in cold blood in their homes, on the streets or other places. And if that is not enough, upwards of almost 7,000 churches closed their doors.  (Image from divers-and-sundry.blogspot.com)

Revelation is a book in the Bible that reveals future judgements to come upon mankind because of their rejection of God and His moral ways. The Bible says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.” (Revelation 18:2)

Babylon is the city America has become.

This ancient city is famous for at least three historical points. First, it was the location of the infamous tower of babel where the nations made a failed attempt to build a tower to reach the heavens and become like God. Second, their notorious King Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon into an expansive empire, conquering nation after nation. Third, Nebuchadnezzar led his military to lay siege to Jerusalem, destroying it and capturing its people.

Eventually, Babylon’s pride and glory brought about its own downfall. Babylon, which once was a servant of God, became His enemy. And 70 years after it conquered Jerusalem, Babylon fell to its own enemies and was destroyed on the crucible of its own ego.

The historical city of Babylon eventually grew to become a spiritual picture of the godless cities and nations of mankind.

These are places where man joins together with others of like mindedness, to pursue the evil desires of their hearts. The city grows in all things evil and lawless, glorifying itself, feeling as if they are indestructible and god-like.

America is the city of Babylon. We have become a place that operates on man’s own corrupt wisdom and knowledge. The evidence is clear. Confusion and chaos abound. Crime, immorality and division exist in neighborhood after neighborhood, while corruption lives in the halls of power.

But there is something important to note. There is another city, one that was built strategically in opposition to the city of man. It is the city of God and was established by the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

This city serves the desires of the Lord God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth. Its citizens have turned from their sin, placed their faith in Christ and walk in holiness and love for one another. The city is marked by truth, service, peace, joy, kindness and much more. The Lord indwells its entire population through His Spirit and is always with them. Ambassadors from this city go out day by day into the city of man, warning their residents to flee their city. They plead with them to find refuge in the city of God, as each of them once did. Sometimes their message is received, while other times it is rejected.

The city of God continues expanding, bringing hope and rescuing those from the city of man. One day the judgement of God will come and Babylon, the city of man, will fall. Yet in contrast, the city of God, led by Christ the King, will remain forever.

If you are part of the city of man, living for yourself and your own desires, leave at once! Come to the city with a sure foundation, whose builder is God Almighty. Come through His Son and the doors of grace and mercy will be opened to you.

A prayer for you - Lord God, open the eyes of people to see what city they live in. Bring them to flee the city of man and run to the city of God. Let them leave behind their selfish ways and yield to the just and holy ways of their Creator. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Pilgrims and President Lincoln

“What is the valley you are walking through? What is the injustice you are facing? No matter your situation, there is reason to give God thanks.”

During America’s bloody civil war, while tens of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers were dying on battlefields, President Abraham Lincoln looked through the haze of war and still saw the good in America. In October 1863 he drafted a proclamation that still affects us 161 years later. He etched out the divine blessings our young nation still had, even in the face of deathly division and the evils of slavery. He wrote, “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” Therefore, he stated, “I…invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” (Image from forchristskingdom.com)

Finding good and giving thanks to God in the face of darkness, evil and anguish? How could Lincoln think in such a manner? American history shows it was not unique to him.

King James ruled Great Britian in the 1600s, leading the world’s second most powerful nation. They had an established state church, The Church of England. King James demanded loyalty to it and stomped out any who refused to conform. Therefore, non-conforming religious groups like the Pilgrims, were persecuted by their government for worshipping outside the state church. Many were imprisoned, fired from their jobs or denied employment, constantly watched by authorities and harassed at every turn. This led many families to flee their homeland, and eventually they learned about the New World across the seas, where they hoped they could find the freedom they so desperately sought.

A group of Pilgrims boarded The Mayflower to begin a treacherous voyage of faith. After two months on the seas, the 102 people sailed into Cape Cod Bay, arriving on the shores of what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, in November 1620.

Before anyone disembarked the ship they drafted a governing document, The Mayflower Compact, that was rooted in their worship and service of the Lord God, “Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents [that is, by this legal document and charter] solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic…”

The Pilgrims faced dangers in their homeland and on the seas. And even though they had a strong faith in God, when they stepped off The Mayflower and onto the beaches of the New World, they faced dangers there too. Within a few months half of their group had died due to lack of food and shelter, disease, sickness and the unrelenting winter conditions.

However, the sovereign hand of their Lord God was sustaining them. Squanto, a native Indian, watched their battle to survive, and eventually came to their aide. Through his guidance and friendship, the Pilgrims learned how to hunt, fish and live off the land, which helped the group of 51 to survive.

The following year, in gratitude toward God for their survival, Governor William Bradford declared a Day of Thanksgiving should be held. Squanto and his tribe came, and a multi-day celebration took place.

The Pilgrims and President Lincoln called for a day of Thanksgiving toward God while in a season of great trial. The Bible says, “I will sing aloud of your steadfast love…you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.” (Psalm 59:16-17) What is the valley you are walking through? What is the injustice you are facing? No matter your situation, there is reason to give God thanks.

A prayer for you – Lord God, help us to see you in the darkness. Help us to see your goodness in the face of the storms that surround us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.