Weeping and Loud Lamentation

Intro

Christmas is a season that is characterized by joy

We sing about joy in carols, we read about joy in Scripture, we see joy depicted on TV commercials, we have joyful Christmas parties, etc.

Even the weather has it feeling like a Hallmark movie with snow softly falling at all times

Show meme about Hallmark coming up with a second movie script

Everywhere you look it feels joyful; which is great, if you also feel joyful

But all of these things make Christmas especially difficult for those who are far from joy

All of those messages, commercials, experiences and stories of joy can instead become painful reminders of what you do NOT have this year

I know full well that there are many of us who are entering the holiday season full of anxiety, lonliness, sorrow and grief

Remember going to visit someone just panelled before Christmas

In fact, the Christmas story includes tragedy, lamentation and grief

It is embedded into the fabric of Christ coming into the world, and remains part of our human experience

Read Matthew 2:16-18 and pray

The (Brief) Story

King Herod was outwitted!

Remember, he had tried to trick the magi into giving him the precise location of the Messiah’s birthplace

He knew the magi wanted to worship this king, so he told them to return so he could worship him too (which was a lie)

But the magi were warned by an angel in a dream NOT to return to Herod, so they went home a different way

Bethlehem is very close to Jerusalem, so Herod would have figured out that the wise men had outwitted him quite quickly

Maybe not so much that Herod had been tricked, but that his own plot had been foiled

But Herod was hungry to stay in power, and went to evil lengths to stamp out the possible threat of a king from the line of David

While the magi had not returned, Herod still had most of the information he needed

The wise men had mentioned when the star first appeared (time of birth)

The priests and scribes found the prophecy that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (approx. location)

Taking what he had, Herod sent soliders with the decree to kill every male child 2 years or younger in Bethlehem and surrounding regions

First… this is terribly evil!

Unfortunately consistent with Herod’s character (killed wife and 2 sons)

Decision to target children 2 years or younger gives us evidence of when the star appeared and Jesus was born

Likely around 2 years old when this took place

While a smaller population would have this be a relatively low number, ANY parent losing a child in this fashion would be horrified and grief stricken

Even one is an incredible loss that is hard to fathom

Herod was outwitted a second time

Not only did God warn the magi not to return to Herod, He warned Joseph to take his family and flee to Egypt

Which they did under the cover of darkness, keeping 2 year old Jesus safe from harm

This was of little consolation to all of the fathers and mothers who lost a child in this needless slaughter

Bringing Matthew to find a fourth fulfillment in Matthew 2:18 ““A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.””

Here he quotes from Jeremiah 31:15, which is about the grief of the exile

Cf. Jeremiah 31:15.

Ramah = not Bethlehem; the place where many people of Judah were gathered during the conquest of Babylon and subsequent exile into that land

Rachel = Husband to Jacob (Israel); the matriarch of the chosen people

“Weeping and loud lamentation” = over the loss of children in the war, and the loss of the Promised Land

Jeremiah would go on to record many lamentations in the book that bears that name

Lamentation is part of the Christmas story, and part of the story of God’s people

It is okay if you do not feel joyful, even when others do around you

Sorrow is not something wrong with you, or an absence of God’s presence

Lamentation is part of your story, but thanks to Jesus, it is not the end of your story

Light in the Darkness

One thing that we are constantly reminded of is the existence and persistance of evil in the world

Herod did something dark and evil in taking the lives of children for his own power

Conflicts in the Ukraine and Israel have more recently claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including children

Some of the personal sorrow at this time of year is also a result of evil acts towards you (types of abuse)

The world still has darkness, and this leads us to lament

Yet Jesus is the light in the darkness, and His birth brought light into the world

Cf. John 1:9-10.

Even when we feel surrounded and lost in the dark, Christmas is important reminder of Jesus who is our light

His light is for EVERYONE:

No matter what you are going through; no matter if you have lived up to a certain standard; no matter if you regularly go to church… His light is for YOU

The light of Jesus is powerful to cut through the darkness of the world

John 1:4-5.

The darkness has not overcome the light

In fact, as dark as life may sometimes seem, the light has overcome it

Talk about sensory deprivation room for drum corps initiation… a little light breaks through it all

If you feel overcome by evil, remember that Jesus is the light that overcomes the darkness

Comfort in Mourning

Both the mothers of the exile and of those who lost children to Herod’s treachery were in mourning

When things happen to children, the loss feels even more significant

Look back at going to Jamie and Jordan’s funeral; share about our own infant loss; refer to Elliott’s situation

Your situation may be different again; we mourn many things in life

What is grieving you this Christmas season?

And yes, the birth of Jesus is tidings of comfort as well as joy

Cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

First, we are comforted by God

God does not keep us from all grief, but He promises comfort and presence in the midst of it

Something hard to explain, but proven true in my experience. Test it and see!

Then, we are to pass on this comfort to others

It is often through the people of God that we experience the divine comfort talked about here

Thank everyone for support during Mom’s diagnosis

We need to keep this up! Be a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, a calm and comforting presence to one another

It’s not just good practice, it is a command of Scripture and the design for how we best experience God’s comfort in grief

Hope for the Future

And yet, Matthew also quotes about lamentation in the greater context of hope

The chapter of Jeremiah 31 is focused on the Lord’s ability and promise to turn mourning into joy

Cf. Jeremiah 31:16-18.

God had NOT forgotten His people; He promised to bring the children back to the Promised Land

“There is hope for your future” is not just an empty platitude, but a promise made by a sovereign God

In light of this background, it seems that “fulfillment” here should not be viewed simplistically as the eventuation of a prediction. Jeremiah 31:15 is not a prediction but a lament in the context of hope for future blessing

When we look at the Christmas story, we can find similar promises of hope, and a God that is capable of turning our mourning into joy

So lamentation is part of the story, but it is not the END of the story… just as it need not be the end of your story

Share about signing to Mom outside her hospital window, and the answered prayer for her to be home for one more Christmas

Conclusion

May most of your Christmas experiences and memories be full of joy

Enjoy it all, and be merry!

And when you experience a blue Christmas, may your experiences and memories be full of comfort

May you experience Jesus as the light in the darkness, comfort in mourning, and hope for the future

Grief and sorrow are real, but they are NEVER the end of the story