Weary Christmas

My Christmas Confession

They say confession is good for the soul. Well this is my Christmas confession. I am weary. For those of you who do not know me I am Ricky Powell. I am honored to be the lead pastor of this church. My confession might surprise you. Pastors have it all together, and only work one day a week! How could they be weary?

To be honest 2020 has been a difficult year. I am weary of sickness, death, Financial stress, I’m certainly weary of politics, hatred, broken or strained relationships, conspiracy theories, quarantines and lock-downs, loneliness and discouragement. And I certainly get weary with my own struggle with my sinful attitudes and actions.

I have a sneaking suspicion I am not the only one feeling weary in the world tonight. Perhaps you can relate to my wearisome list and you have some additions of your own. What is it that has you feeling weary this Christmas?

Deep down you may be thinking, “I know this is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness but it doesn’t quite feel like it with everything else going on in the world and in my life.“ I can relate. It can feel more like a weary Christmas than a merry Christmas.

What should we do? Should we cancel Christmas? All kinds of things have had to be canceled. We’ve canceled in-person Christmas Eve services, family get-togethers, maybe Christmas should be canceled, too. But I’ve got good news for you. Christmas is not canceled! In fact there is a line in the song we just sang, “Oh Holy Night,” that grabbed my attention this year like no other. I have sung this Christmas Carol all of my life. The words were always there, but I was not always aware of their meaning. The line in the Christmas Carol said, “the weary world rejoices.”

This line has spoken to me more this year than ever. It has reminded me that Christmas has always been about good news for a weary world. Christmas is about God sending his son Jesus Christ into the world, to weary people, in order to give them God‘s saving and sustaining love.

We are not the first weary people to live. The world into which Jesus was born was a world of sin, brokenness, political corruption, religious hypocrisy, war, division, murder, poverty and injustice. “Long lay the world in sin and error pinning.” On that first Christmas, Jesus came into a weary world brought low by sin.

And why did he come? Jesus did not come to push aside the weary world, rather he came alongside the weary world.

Listen to how the gospel writer Matthew narrates the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Read Matthew 1:18- 25. ESV

Matthew 1:18–25 (NIV84)

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Did you hear the good news for a weary world? Jesus did not come to push aside the weary world but to come alongside the weary world. He came to be Immanuel, which means God with us. God with you! God with me! Jesus came to be with us in our weariness.

This baby that we celebrate tonight and tomorrow grew up to be a man. And he went around preaching the good news of God’s love and inviting people to trust in him as their Lord and Savior.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus cried out, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Jesus says if you are feeling weary and burdened by your sin and failures, come to me and I will give you rest.

He says if you are feeling weary of your grief come to me.

He says if you are feeling weary with loneliness come to me.

He says if you are feeling weary and discouraged come to me.

He says if you are feeling weary of trying to live up to religious expectations, and trying to earn God‘s love and forgiveness, then come unto me and I will give you rest.

And how does he give us rest? He lived a perfect life and exchanged it for our imperfect lives when he died on the cross of Calvary he paid the price for our sins to be forgiven. And he rose from the dead on the third day physically alive. If he can do that, what can’t he do! Now he invites you to trust in him. He invites you to rest in him.

Christmas is about the God who came to you in the person of his Son, Jesus, and Christmas is about the ability for you to come to him no matter who you are, or what you are facing, or what you have done, or what your skin color, or what your fears are. He invites you to come to him. Put your trust in him as your Lord and Savior, as your companion and friend, and discover that Jesus can transform your weary Christmas into a Merry Christmas when you trust him!

This is my Christmas confession. I am trusting in Jesus to turn my weary Christmas into a merry Christmas as I remember that he is still Emmanuel God with us, God with me, God with you. Rather than pushing aside a weary world, he comes alongside a weary world.

I want to pray for God‘s blessings upon your life right now, and after the prayer we are going to sing Silent Night. Perhaps you will find a candle somewhere in your home and during the song you will light it as your confession of your faith and your trust in Jesus, your Emmanuel. Let Jesus transform your weary Christmas into a merry Christmas!

If this message has been helpful I encourage you to share it with someone else. I would also love it if you would comment below and let me know how I can pray for you. Let us pray.