Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

I know, this doesn't seem like the most Christmas-y message, but I promise you it is... just trust the process.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, but before we skip to the jingle bells and nativity scenes, let's read Isaiah 8:21-9:6,

"They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness." (Isaiah 8:21-22)

"But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone... For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:1-6)

Phew, that was dense. In case you didn't catch it, here's the TLDR: the people of Israel and Judah were in for a rough time, but light would come.

Indeed, they had quite a rough time: invasions, exile, a slow rebuilding, and then more invasions and colonial rule. When Jesus was born, Israel was under Roman occupation, and the Jewish people longed desperately for their Messiah to come and deliver them from that oppression - spoiler alert: that wasn't quite what He had in mind. He came to do something even better - to save all of humanity from the oppression of sin. Jesus came to give us living water (John 4:10-15), light (John 1:1-5), and comfort (Matthew 5:4). But how can we truly understand the value of all that He gave us without first acknowledging how needy we are? No one appreciates water like a person dehydrated and lost in the desert, light like someone who has been hurt so much from stumbling around in the dark, and comfort like someone in mourning.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Mourning is not only for those who are going through a loss, although it is a word for them too, of course, but for all of us.

In his letter addressed to the Corinthian church, Paul writes,

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you... And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?..." (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

Mourning is an attitude and reaction appropriate for sin. It is when we understand the gravity of our sins, the extent of our own depravity and hopelessness, that we can understand how desperately we needed God Himself to come in the flesh to save us. It is then that we can celebrate Christmas and all that comes with it to the fullest.

May God give us the grace and understanding to mourn, and borrowing a greeting from comedian Pete Holmes, "May the birth of the one and only true God, Jesus Christ, bestow a blessing of grace and peace upon your household..."

Merry Christmas!