Loneliness affects us all from time to time, especially at this time of the year. Christmas is when families not only remember the birth of Christ but also gather and make memories that are looked back on from year to year. However, as we grow older and move to different places, those memories become all we know of what used to be. For some being alone on Christmas is the result of distance. For others, it is a duty as they serve our country, both spouse and soldier. Many elderly are alone most of the year, but Christmas is the most difficult. When you think about it, wasn’t this the case on the first Christmas night?
Joseph and Mary traveled the long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, there was no room for them to stay in regular lodging. They stayed instead in the stable with the animals. They were all alone. Joseph, despite the constant murmuring that Mary was unfaithful, took her to be his wife. Mary took that same ridicule, being the talk of the town, and reproached by others. – John 8:41. And now they had to travel to Bethlehem and spend the night alone, with the cold upon them, the unusual smells of a stable, and the uncomfortableness of being pregnant. It is hard to believe that Mary and Joseph were all alone, or were they?
There were no friends and family with them, but we know they were not alone. God was with them, not only in the womb of Mary but in the circumstances. While Mary was giving birth to Jesus, angels were in the meadows giving a message to Shepherds. When the shepherds found the baby, as the angels had said, they told Mary and Joseph all they had heard. The Bible says Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” – Luke 2:19. Even when Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt from Herod, they were not alone.
Hundreds of years before Mary and Joseph, another man felt the same effects of loneliness, running for his life in the wilderness from king Saul. And he learned that no matter where he was or what circumstances he was in, God was with him. I think you may know him, his name was David. He said: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” – Psalm 23.
Whether it is distance, duty, or difficulty, if Jesus is your Savior, you are never alone, not even on Christmas. As David said, “Thou art with me.” Covet these words as Mary did. Ponder them in your heart.
You don’t need to be alone on Christmas. Join us for Christmas Eve Service at 6 p.m. and Christmas Day Service at 10:15 a.m. Find out more at www.taylorcreekchurch.org.
