I am no stranger to holding grief in the holiday seasons.
In recent years as I’ve anticipated the holidays, there has been a bubbling of anxious dread within me in experiencing another holiday season while holding loss. Sometimes I wish the holiday season would end quicker than it does. Sometimes I wish it would last for six months. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I laugh at memories that hold such deep joy. Sometimes I shed a tear, holding the hope of what beauty has become of ashes on this earth.
As my friend
has shared before, “Given the power, grief will destroy you. But in the restorative hand of God, grief can transform you.”1Today I offer a prayer to you—one who holds griefs seen and unseen to the outside world.
May we remember that all our grief is tenderly held in the hands of our Father.
May this prayer today be one that invites you into a deeper, transforming love of God in your grief.
May this prayer be one you return to again and again on days when holiday parties and seasonal greetings leave your heart unseen.
May this prayer invite you into a deeper hope of Jesus—Emmanuel—God with us.
A Christmas Prayer for Grieving Hearts
Oh God of joy,
fill us today.
We see you in our laughter—
in the dancing of Christmas lights,
in the cozy pajamas,
and in the twinkling eyes of children.
You are here.
///
Oh God of hope,
be near today.
Be near in the holding of grief—
in the empty chairs that remain,
in the missing stockings on the mantle,
in the dreams that have been shattered like a broken ornament,
and in the tears of sadness that glisten in the glowing lights.
You are here.
///
Emmanuel - God with us.
You are sad with us.
You laugh with us.
You dance with us.
You grieve with us.
You are near.
You are here.
///
Hold us in our pain as we celebrate the joy of this season.
Meet our grieving hearts as we live our daily lives—
May we taste your love in the flavor of homemade fudge from a friend.
May we feel your presence as we gaze at Christmas lights in the coolness of the night.
May we hear your song of love over us as we sing carols in our car.
Emmanuel—You are here.
You are with us.
You are near.
You are.
Amen.
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