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… the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
Luke 2:1-10

Snow storms in Europe, flooding on the east coast of Canada, mud slides in California and grieving families embracing the casket of the son that served in Afghanistan. The list of grief and suffering could go on and on.

This last week has not been calm as some carols would suggest, in fact it has been hectic and confusing. The question comes to mind, "Where is God in all this pain suffering and confusion?" 



As I pondered this question I found myself thinking of Joseph, Mary, some shepherds and a tiny baby in a feed trough. Yes Jesus Christ/God with us in a animal feed trough!

As I think about the inconveniences and grief in the lives of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus on the first Christmas night and the Life that followed I am reminded of the fact that as in those day “God is with us today” I believe the Good News of Christmas is that God is with us in all of this incredible suffering and confusion.
The message of God to us at Christmas is, "In all of life I am with you.”
Think about that. God is in the midst of real life. When people are hungry, God is there. Where people are cold, God is there. Where people are hurting, God is there.

God did not come for those who feel righteous and worthy. God came to the hurting, the lonely, the hungry, the naked and the cold. In the inconvenient birth of the Son, God tells each one of us that we are the objects of his love. Through the birth, life and death of Jesus, God tells us, "I know what life is like and I will always be with you." 



Jesus shows us there is a way. He followed the will of God. He conquered sin and death. He gave us eternal hope … and it all began on a cold night in a stable after an inconvenient journey. 



God is with us. Jesus is here. The promise of Christmas is that Jesus will be with us always. No matter what happens in our lives. No matter what life throws in our path, Jesus is with us.

When life is good we thank Jesus for the blessings. When life is inconvenient and hard we thank Jesus for his presence. In Christ we find all of our joy. In Christ we find all of our peace. In Christ we find all of our hope. With this joy, this peace and this hope, we thank God. With this joy, this peace, and this hope we can turn to one another and say with new meaning and understanding, “Merry Christmas”.

Paul Weresch