I was listening to some Christmas music this week and it struck me how full of sentimentality most are. Talk of family gatherings, pumpkin pie, fun events such as caroling or sledding, opening presents, drinking hot chocolate by a roaring fire, and, of course, lots of snow on Christmas morning. Add to that the movies and tear-jerking commercials and one can’t imagine a Christmas that is an unhappy one.

None of these are wrong in and of themselves, but like every Christmas season, expectations of the holidays are often out of sync with our reality. The truth is, we are in a world of hurt. No holiday can change that, even if the culture around us tries desperately to convince us otherwise.

This month, many of us are experiencing the feelings of loss. Some have lost dear family members or friends to death. Others have lost their good health, or caring for those who have, and are facing uncertain futures. Some are dealing with the mess of broken relationships due to divorce or disagreement that haven’t yet been cleaned up by grace and forgiveness. Still others have lost hope because life just seems for them to be one bad turn on top of another. And yet we are told that by the songs playing, the commercials we watch, and the Christmas movies we see, that this is, “the most wonderful time of the year.”

There is a lot of sentimentality woven into the Christmas season, but the reality is that the birth of Jesus was void of it. Millenia of tradition has led to the obscuring of the facts. Mary was an unmarried pregnant teenager who traveled by foot (or donkey) for 90 miles over four days to give birth in less-than-ideal conditions. Then, within days, she and Joseph traveled five miles (uphill) to Jerusalem with a newborn. At some point, they had to flee for their son’s life to Egypt, which was at least 40 miles to the border.

It was a rough beginning no matter how you look at it. Yet, that wasn’t by happenstance. It was by design. The surroundings of Jesus’s birth and its context serve as the very signs of the hope we find in him regardless of our circumstances. He came into a world of hurt without pretense or entitlement. He moved into our world as it is. In the same way, he moves into our hearts, which also are worlds of hurt and despair.

So while celebrations of Christmas may be full of sentimentality and unrealistic expectations, the Christmas Story relays how God views our world and the troubles we face. He brings hope into a world of hurt. Regardless of our present circumstances, that is something we can celebrate.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almightywill accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

© Jim Musser 2023 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.