What the Story of Christmas Teaches Us about Grief – Matthew 2:16-18
December 21, 2014Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
Christmas is a time of joy with reminders of all that is good in the world, right? Yes, for some. But it is also a time of grief and sadness for many because of events that have happened during that time of year for them, or because it highlights what’s missing.
All of us are affected by grief – some more than others. We are all affected more often than we realize. Proverbs 14:13 says, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.” Grief is something we prefer to ignore or hide, until we can’t. Then it can come bursting in like a flood. Like it did for Job (Job 3). Like it did for the moms in Matthew 2:13-18.
What is the cause of grief? Why do we all experience it in varying measures? Why is it our common experience? Why does the Bible seem to say so much about it? Why do God’s people seem to experience so much of it? And what does the Story of Christmas teach us about grief?
These questions and more we will look at this Sunday. In doing so we will see why for the believer, the proverb can become, “Even in sorrow the heart will find joy, and grief will end in joy.”