In Thy Tender Care

My heart is mixed this Christmas morning with feelings of joy and sadness. There is joy because my grown boys are all home for Christmas. They are all happily sleeping in and we are getting ready to get in the burb and go to nana and papas where we will feast like royalty and laugh and visit and have another amazing Christmas.

But, I was reminded last night that Christmas can be the hardest time of the year. After our inspiring Christmas Eve service where we ended the night in a dark sanctuary with hundreds of candles reflecting off faces, some of which I have known for almost 15 years, I left the platform and headed down to find Trinetta.

On the way down the aisle, I saw a family huddled together weeping. I knew only one member, a friend I had discipled in our 12 week evangelism class. We had become quite close in sharing Christ from home to home. At the center of this group of siblings was a sweet mother who had just sat through her first Christmas Eve service without her husband of many years. They were not weeping in despair, they were as the bible puts it "sorrowing with hope." They knew they would see their loved one again, he was a dear saint who not only knew Jesus but was part of an international missions organization whose goal is to share Jesus' name in every country in the world by 2013. (And they are only short by a few.)

But even though there was hope in this sorrow, there was still sorrow. They were fondly remembering and deeply missing their patriarch. I asked if it would be intruding to sit with them and pray and they gladly accepted me into their circle. As I prayed over them, the Lord led me to commend their crying. To remind them that each tear of sorrow that hit the ground would grow seedlings of hope because the bible tells us that God is close to the brokenhearted. I said amen, and left them to conclude this private moment of remembering their loved one.

Now on this Christmas morning, my heart hurts for all the families of those in Newtown, Connecticut who are waking up without their children. Doubtless, many had already purchased Christmas gifts that are still under the tree. For these families, Christmas will always be hard. 

We should pray for these families every day- but especially today. And of course, our prayers should include not just the children but for all those killed in this heinous act.

There was a moment this past week when God spoke clearly to me and I found comfort in it. I was leading worship for our Manna Food Pantry worship service where I was to preach the Christmas message. At the front, with my guitar, it was so sweet to hear so many who have so little in life, singing Christmas carols with big smiles on their faces. At one point we were singing Away in a Manger and we got to these familiar words: “Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care. And take us to heaven, to Live with Thee there.”

Quietly, God whispered to me that “the dear children in Thy tender care” includes the children that had been senselessly massacred. They are very much alive and are in his tender care still- in His house. And although heaven does not run on our earthly schedule for things such as holiday celebrations, I can’t imagine that any celebration of Jesus here goes unnoticed there. They are in a place where every day is spent celebrating Jesus in all his splendor. And there, they find comfort we cannot imagine.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Let’s revel in the extravagant blessings God has lavished on us but- let’s also be watching for someone with a broken heart and remind them- we are in His tender care.