Rev. Debbie Cato
Blue Christmas Homily
Luke 2:8-18
December 21, 2023
The
Terrifying Loss in Christmas
A
Homily for the Weary
For anyone who has experienced a loss; for anyone who is struggling with a crisis of any kind – a medical diagnosis, loss of employment, financial problems, relationship problems, depression and isolation – anything that this time of year is hard.
There is Christmas cheer all around us. You cannot go into a store, turn on the radio or TV, you cannot go anywhere for that matter, without being reminded that it’s Christmas. It’s the holidays and you should be happy. But thousands and thousands of people dread this time of year. But society does not allow much room for sadness at Christmas. This feeling that you must be happy and there is something wrong if you are not, is very isolating. It can fill you with dread and even make you fearful of being in public, being around people.
The Christmas narrative, the story of the birth of Jesus, is a serene scene. A “silent night” experience. But the story of the shepherds and who they are and the work they did bring fear and terror into the story. They have intense emotions that aren’t just from the angels surprising them on Christmas night. Their intense emotions come from their work.
And that night near Bethlehem, that’s exactly what happens. A scare of cosmic proportions happens. Angels appear in the sky and the shepherds are terrified. An angel exclaims, “Fear not!” The news of Jesus’ birth is delivered and the shepherds leave their flocks and begin a journey into the night to find the Christ child.
Grieving during Advent feels a lot like this part of the Christmas narrative – anticipating danger lurking in the darkness. While the rest of the world is singing carols and decorating trees, those who are grieving are facing a Christmas without someone they love and dreading it’s arrival. Those who are grieving have something “off” in their lives. The weight of isolation is overwhelming and can make it seem as though grief belongs nowhere near celebrations, Advent services, or even Christ himself. But the shepherds story proves to us that God believes the opposite.[2]
An angel found the shepherds at night and an invitation to meet the baby Jesus was offered to the fearful, the outcast, the expendable. After the angels left, the shepherds traveled through the night to meet their Savior. The danger was still there, the fear still lurked, but they took steps that led them closer to Christ. In fact, the shepherds were the first to see the baby Christ child.
If you are grieving this Advent; if you are struggling, embrace what the shepherds teach us and what the candles we will light in a bit help us remember: Grief does not disqualify us from Advent. Grief highlights what Advent is all about. It is O.K. to feel. To feel both grief and gratefulness. To feel both sadness and joy. To feel both loss and hope. The emotion makes us real. And this holiday, there is truly space for both.[3]
Peace comes from knowing that God can still find us, even in the midst of our darkest nights. God saw humanities suffering and chose to experience it firsthand and come to earth. Joy can show up unexpectedly, not in the form of happiness, but with gratitude that our grief is seen and felt by God. On Christmas, hope was born into flesh in the form of a baby whose life, death, and resurrection would bring life to all.[4]
[1] Faith & Leadership. Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. Kalina Carlson. December 2023.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Rachel Marie Martin.
Findingjoy.net.
[4] Faith & Leadership. Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. Kalina Carlson. December 2023.
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