Blessed Christmas, dear reader (and listener)! This blog post is unusual in that it’s loaded with music, chosen just for you.
Oh, you may say, “I don’t want to hear music now—especially Christmas
music. I’m raw. Broken. At the end of myself. The hurt in me is so deep,
nothing can give me joy. Not even the birth of Jesus.”
We might not have experienced the same hurt you hold. But I can tell you
there was a time we were so deeply sunk in despair that my husband—a singer
his whole life—stopped singing for years.
What carried us through the most difficult years of our lives? Prayers
of caring believers for sure, but in a big way music was our balm. Healer.
And, although we didn’t want to go through Christmas when our emotions were so raw, in time we came to realize Christmas didn’t hurt us. It brought Hope—the Promised One
Who heals us from our hurts.
“The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me
to
preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who
are bound…
To
comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion,
to
give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called
trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:1,2a, 3
This year a number of our friends have experienced deeper pain than I
can even fathom. So much sorrow! I thought, Sarah, what can you share this
Christmas that will minister to them?
Music! More specifically songs from ones who hurt, who knew incredibly
deep pain, who’ve “been there.”
My gift to you, dear hurting souls? A Christmas concert, so to speak.
Let’s begin our “program” with a carol of yearning, waiting, expecting
the birth of the promised Messiah—Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus—original
words by Charles Wesley, no stranger to tragedy. Charles and his wife
suffered deep loss. Only three of their eight children lived beyond infancy.
Can you imagine their grief?
When I listened to this selection, I was struck to the core by these
words:
“Come to earth to taste our sadness, He
Whose glories knew no end.
By His Life He brings us gladness, our
Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.”
Beautifully presented to you by Keith & Kristyn Getty—please listen
and let the words of promise help lift you.
Keith & Kristyn Getty sing:
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Performance
Video) - Keith & Kristyn Getty - YouTube
Another couple who’d empathize with families like the Wesleys lived in
my lifetime—Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers—well known in the last century of radio
and television.
Roy and Dale both experienced broken marriages. Then Roy lost his second
wife due to complications from childbirth. Later with wife Dale they would bury
three of their nine children. They both came to know Jesus as their Savior and
Lord, and they gave the credit to Him for bringing them through their grief and
sorrow.
I’ve chosen one of the songs from the Roger’s Christmas album—this one
because so many people asked this year if I was ready for Christmas.
My reply? “I have Jesus in my heart and life, so it’s Christmas all year.
Yep, I’m all set!”
Some smiled and moved on, others gave it some thought, and a few added,
“I have Him in my heart too!”
Dale expresses this in our next concert number.
Dale Evans Rogers sings:
Our next segment holds four carols
along with thoughts from Ken & Joni Tada and a friend. (You may wish to
listen to all of it or go to the time stamps where Joni sings.)
Now, Joni also shares from a life that’s been broken—quite literally. As
a teen she dove into shallow water and broke her neck, leaving her paralyzed
from the neck down. She battled with anger, bitterness, and depression a long
while before she accepted her “new normal” and her sitting-downness. Yes, the
rest of her life in a wheelchair. Joni wasn’t healed in her body, but her mind
and spirit were. She uses her life gloriously for the God she adores!
I met Joni nearly fifty years ago. I remember telling my mom then, “I
think she’s the most charismatic person I’ve ever met.” The real deal! Her
exuberance for life bubbles over.
Joni also suffers with chronic traumatic injury pain and has battled
cancer twice, yet she still holds to her faith in her Savior.
In the broadcast Joni says, “Here we are, preparing for another
celebration of the birth of Jesus into our dark world. It’s what Advent’s all
about. Preparing our tired hearts to receive in a fresh new way our Savior and
our King.”
Joni Eareckson Tada sings and shares:
The Spirit of Christmas with Joni
Eareckson Tada
(Carols are at time stamps 0:18, 3:29,
12:44, 18:29, & 24:09.)
A bereaved mother who buried her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter this
summer introduced me to this next song. It speaks deeply to many roots of
brokenness. Here are portions of its writers’ testimonies:
Lisa: “I was struggling…a long year and a half. Finances
were stressful, I miscarried twins…I was battling a deep relational bitterness...
‘O come all you faithful, joyful and triumphant.’ I remember hearing
those words and thinking, I have been so unfaithful. My joy has dwindled,
and I am a triumphant failure. Is that really who is invited to come to Jesus?
The faithful? The joyful? The triumphant? If so, then I am hopeless.
Thankfully, later that afternoon the Holy Spirit reminded me of Jesus’s
invitation in Matthew 11:28—Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and
I will give you rest…Rest found in his life, his death, and his
resurrection, not my own.
That evening I had a strong conviction to write a song for myself and
for the weary, the broken, and the ashamed. (from “Worship Matters” – The Story Behind
O Come, All You Unfaithful)
Bob: “…fear, hopelessness, depression, detachment anxiety,
and emptiness became my daily companions…Apart from Jesus, I was completely hopeless
and had every reason to fear. But Jesus died on the cross to save hopeless and
fearful people. And I was one of them.
That thought process…pointed me again and again to the Savior I needed
more than I had ever realized. He gave me a deeper trust in the care of my
heavenly Father, a more passionate love fore Jesus and the gospel, and a
greater awareness of his Spirit’s presence.” (from “Desiring God” – May 16, 2019)
Bob Kauflin & Lisa Clow with O Come, All You Unfaithful:
O Come, All You Unfaithful • Official Video - YouTube
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found himself in deep despair during the
Civil War. But this wasn’t his first meeting with sorrow. Years before, his
beloved wife’s dress accidentally caught fire. Although Henry tried to extinguish
the flames, being badly burned himself, he couldn’t save his wife.
Their oldest son fought in the War Between the States. When Henry
received word his firstborn took a bullet near the spine with fear he’d be paralyzed,
he again mourned.
It was then he heard the bells ringing out and penned the transition his
heart and spirit went through when the meaning of Christmas reached him.
Here’s a beautiful rendition of Mr. Longfellow’s poem:
The Collingsworth family sing the words of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day | The
Collingsworth Family | Official Performance Video
Thank you for “coming” to this
Christmas Concert. My hope and prayer? That you grasp hold of Hope—Jesus, sense
the peace He freely offers you while you rest in His Arms, and come to firmly
understand He can heal your brokenness if you but allow.
“…lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.”
–Jesus
(Matthew 28:20)
This concert is
dedicated in memory of
Everly Grace,
Samantha Grace, & Hannah Marie.
#Christmas #suffering #hurting #tragedy #death
#depression #nativity #birthofJesus #music
#JoniEarecksonTada #BobKauflin #LisaClow #HenryWadsworthLongfellow
#CivilWar
#KeithKristynGetty #RoyRogers #DaleEvansRogers
#carols
Credits: stockadobe.com & YouTube
