[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 24/Dec/2023]
As Christmas approaches, a lot of our time is sometimes taken up with frenzied activity. Cards to write and send (brings to mind Chris’s comment in ‘Yours’ 2 weeks ago when she said that you get to a certain age where if you don’t send a card at Christmas, people begin to wonder whether you’re still alive), presents to buy, food to get in for the Christmas meal … The list goes on.
There are many though, for whom this year (and perhaps for quite a while), the joy has been taken out of Christmas. Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, eviction from a house, strained relationships, financial difficulties, and other major life issues mean that it is difficult to get through the day, let alone with a smile on one’s face. It isn’t always possible to find someone to share these problems with, in large part because it is hard for people to truly understand what we are going through. Some of you might remember words from the Negro Spiritual song which goes:
“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen … ”
One of my friends once told me when I was going through a particularly difficult time that “if anyone tells you they know what you’re going through, believe me, they don’t”. His words rang true to me at the time, but looking back now, I don’t think he was right.
The next line in the Negro spiritual song says:
“Nobody knows but Jesus.”
You often hear people say that we should try not to miss the true meaning of Christmas. I am not sure we will all agree on exactly what that is, but can I offer one worth considering?
God looked down and saw the mess we had made of the world He blessed us with. He decided, out of the love He has for us, to sort things out. He chose, curiously, to do this by ‘moving into the neighbourhood’, walking where we walked, experiencing what we went through first hand and then taking on himself the punishment that was due to us for all the wrong we had done. What God did at Christmas was to ensure that when we are going through tough times in life and feel there is no one who will understand, we can know that there is someone who truly knows what we are going through and who will walk with us and guide us through that valley, renewing our hope and restoring our joy.
Jesus has made it possible for us to be able to sing that song with meaning.
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Nobody knows but Jesus.
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Glory Hallelujah
May I wish you all a Happy Christmas.
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Last week’s reflection: Christ IN us the Hope of Glory! by Dennis Ginter
Contributed by David Makanjuola; © David Makanjuola