Jeff Grisham

It seems that everywhere we look, we see images of the joy of the season. Television commercials, billboards, newspaper ads all have pictures of those coming home for the holidays. We are shown images of a large table, beautifully set and decorated with all the family home for this great holiday. These are great images and they do evoke feelings of joy, togetherness, and many great memories of holidays of the past.

These also evoke feelings of grief, loss, and pain as we may look around and notice that there is an empty place at the table. We may be reminded of last year’s holiday season and realize that this year’s will be much different because of the death of one that we held so dear to us. Our memories of those wonderful exciting days that we once experienced may now be tainted with images of declining health and poor prognoses.

Grief intrudes on our lives in various ways and at various times. But it may be brought into sharper focus at this particular time of year. We see the joy and wonder portrayed in the images that confront us. We see others enjoying themselves and it only reminds us of how much we have lost. How can we make our way through this particular time of year?

Allow ourselves space to grieve. Denying the grief that we feel doesn’t solve the issue. Grief is an emotion given to us by God. It is an emotion that God himself experiences. As Jesus made his way to Bethany after the death of his friend Lazarus, he was met by two grieving sisters, devastated by the loss of their brother. As Jesus and the mourners made their way to the tomb of Lazarus, John tells us, “Jesus wept.” What a statement! Jesus, who knew that Lazarus was about to walk out of that tomb, still grieved with those who were suffering. We don’t have to always put on happy face and fake our way through the holidays. It’s ok to let ourselves grieve for the loss.

Lean on others. Family can be a wonderful blessing. God created us as relational beings, and as such he placed us in family groups. We need each other. We are to encourage one another, love one another, forgive one another, and bear one another’s burdens. Paul in Romans 12 in speaking of the church family says, ”Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:9-15) We may get the feeling that our grief will get in the way of other people’s enjoyment of the holidays. The truth is that it will remind others of loss and suffering, but those who love and care about us will be sensitive to the pain that we feel. There are those that care deeply about us and can help us through. Whether it is our physical family or the family of God brought together by the blood of Jesus, reach out to them.

All of us need to be sensitive to the needs of others. That’s what it means to be family, to be the family of God. The command that we have from Jesus is to “love one another: just as I have loved you, you are to love one another.” (John 13:34) Loving like Jesus means being aware of the needs of others. It means remembering that this time of year may bring pain instead of joy and tears instead of laughter to those who have lost loved ones.

Remember that God knows the loss we have experienced. God knows what it is like to lose a son. He hurts with us. He weeps with us. He loves us deeply in the middle of our grief. In fact, as we celebrate the coming of Jesus and are reminded of the beauty of the incarnation, we should remember that the reason God sent his son is so that death and sin, our grief and loss don’t get the last word. The gift of God, his only son, was to bring an end to the rule of death, and to give us life and hope. May God bless each of us as we make our way through the joys and the heartaches that this season brings.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

These words spoken by Jesus to those who had followed him for a period of about three years come just hours away from the cross. In a very short time, Jesus would be arrested, tried, beaten, mocked, humiliated, and condemned to die on a Roman cross. As we continue reading through the accounts of the crucifixion, we notice the peace that Jesus seems to possess through the whole ordeal. We watch as he walks out to meet the mob sent to arrest him. We hear him tell Peter to put away the sword and remind him that this is the purpose for which he came. We listen to his conversations with Pilate, confident of his identity and certain that the Father would set things right. We notice the peace that Jesus has.

This peace is what Jesus offered his followers in these words from John 14. This small band that had walked with Jesus was about to face life without him physically present with them. I have no doubt that Jesus knew the difficulties they would face, not only in the days that followed, but also in continuing to carry out the mission on which they would be sent. They would face difficult situations, determined opposition, uncertainty, and difficult decisions. Following Jesus did not exempt them from trouble. In fact, it would often lead to trouble and conflict with the world around them. Jesus knew they needed the peace he offered.

Following Jesus does not exempt us from trouble. It does not make us immune to the troubles, pains, sorrows, and difficulties of this life. We face opposition and often find ourselves at odds with the world around us. We deal with difficult decisions, tensions, and conflict. It can all seem overwhelming and what we want is peace.

The world around us tries to convince us that it has the answers to our need for peace. It continually places these offers in front of us in various ways. It suggests that if we will just buy the right car, or the right house in the right neighborhood then we will have what we need and all will be well. It leads us to think that if we just find the right partner, pick the right hobby, find the right people who agree with us on everything, then peace and happiness will naturally follow. It tells us that maybe the conflict we are experiencing is the resistance to our own nature, and if we would just do whatever makes us happy then we would be at peace. Just last week millions of people lined up in various places across this country to vote for political candidates, each of whom claims to offer peace, a better life for people. The problem with any of these offers is that they will ultimately fail. The world promises peace, but is not able to make good on that promise. The world cannot provide what it doesn’t have. Peace is not found in the externals, but is a heart condition.

The promise Jesus makes to give peace is not like the promises of the world. He can provide what he promises. It is Jesus who has the ability to change the heart. We were created for relationship. We were created for closeness with God and when we are separated from him, peace is missing. It’s not that God has moved; it is our sin, our rebellion that has moved us away from him and our quest for peace is a cry for reconciliation. Jesus makes that possible. Because of what God has done in Jesus we can be reconciled to God. We can be confident of our identity as his children, and have peace of mind that God will make everything right.

I wonder how often the words of Jesus from John 14:27 were remembered and recited by the early Christians as they faced all kinds of opposition and trouble. I wonder if when they were arrested, threatened, or watched as others were beaten or even executed, they reminded themselves and each other of the peace that Jesus provided.

I wonder if it might help us as we encounter difficulties, sorrows, pains, and tensions. Could it serve as a way to still the anxiousness, worry, and fear that we experience? Could we remember these words of Jesus and be reminded of our identity and the One who holds us in his hands?

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (Matthew 23:1-7)

As we follow the life and ministry of Jesus throughout the Gospels and listen in as he interacts with the people of his day, we hear words of hope, words of blessing, words of comfort, challenging words, and even some harsh criticism. Jesus did have some harsh criticism directed at some people. The harshest criticism we hear from him was directed at the most religious people of his day, the Pharisees.

It is a bit confusing when we stop and think about it. The Pharisees were not a bunch of hedonistic rebels; just the opposite in fact. They were outstanding students of Scripture. There were incredibly conscientious about obeying the law. They were serious about their giving. They were serious about being the people of God.

As we look at this list, we might wonder which of these characteristics would warrant such stinging rebukes from the lips of Jesus? Weren’t they supposed to be obedient, ethical, generous, and knowledgeable? The truth is that it wasn’t any of these characteristics in particular that earned them such pointed criticism. It was actually a characteristic that they lacked, namely humility.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:8-12)

Jesus was not critical of them because they were obedient, morally pure, generous, and hungry to learn. He was not pleased with these things because their service to God was a source of pride for them, and they had forgotten what had been done for them. They lacked humility and it is something that is desperately needed.

Humility is fertile ground for empathy and service. Jesus tells his followers that the Pharisees bind heavy burdens on others, but do nothing to help carry them. Humility allows us to recognize that without what God has done in Jesus, we were in a helpless condition. Remembering that should move us to love, serve, and be patient and kind with those who struggle. We are called to bear one another’s burdens, love one another, serve one another, and forgive one another. We are called to do that because Jesus has borne our burdens, loved us, served as a sacrifice for our sins, and forgiven us. In short, humility was a defining characteristic of Jesus.

Humility calls for us to see our complete dependence on God. The Pharisees seemed to believe diligently keeping the Law was what made them God’s people. In other words, they were obedient so that they could be God’s people. What they were actually called to do was to be obedient because God had rescued them and made called them to be his people. It may sound like there’s little or no difference in those two views, but the difference is actually huge. Over and over the Israelites were reminded that it was God who delivered them from Egypt and made them a nation. Their obedience to his commands was to be in response to his grace.

It is the same with the people of God today. We are certainly called to be obedient. God is holy and calls us to be holy as well. That obedience is to be our response, and they way in which we show our love for and trust in him. We don’t do the things that Jesus commands so that he will save us; we do the things he commands because of what he has done to save us.

Jesus still calls his followers to be obedient, morally pure, generous, and hungry to learn. Those are still desperately needed. But, those things are to be done in a spirit of humility which enables us to be people who love and serve the way he did.