Hope in the Bleak Midwinter: Finding Comfort This Christmas

Christmas is a time of joy, celebration, and family gatherings. But it's also a time when we're acutely aware of those we've lost and the fragility of life itself. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the darkness and uncertainty of the world around us. But it is precisely in this "bleak midwinter," when death feels strongest, that the hope of Christmas shines brightest.

This year, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I want to reflect on the theme of hope, a theme that lies at the very heart of the Christmas message.

Next year, we'll be delving into the Heidelberg Catechism as a congregation. This wonderful document begins with a profound question: "What is your only comfort in life and death?" I love how the Catechism answers this question, offering us a sure and steadfast hope in the midst of life's trials.

If I could summarize this comfort in a single word, it would be "hope." Hope in God. Hope in salvation. Hope that we are not alone in life or in death.

As I write these words, my family and our church community are facing the realities of life and death. My wife, Erika, is visiting her grandmother, who is receiving hospice care. We have two church members facing health challenges in rehab facilities. My son recently shared the news of a friend who passed away. Death is a constant presence in our lives, and it can easily rob us of hope, casting a shadow over everything we hold dear.

It's tempting to place our hope in the things of this world: our accomplishments, our possessions, our relationships. But if our lives are solely defined by these things, then death wipes them all clean. Like a game of Monopoly, we can amass fortunes and properties, but when the game is over, everything goes back in the box.

In this life, when our time is done, everything returns to dust. There are no U-Hauls behind hearses, no earthly possessions that can follow us into eternity.

But the secret of Christmas is that it offers us a hope that transcends the limitations of this world. In the bleak midwinter, when death feels strongest, the light of Christ shines brightest, illuminating the path to eternal life.

The familiar carol, "In the Bleak Midwinter," captures this truth beautifully:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In1 the bleak midwinter, long ago.

What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a Shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him – give my heart.

This Christmas, I invite you to consider where your hope truly lies. Is it in fleeting relationships, material possessions, or physical health? While these things can bring temporary happiness, they are ultimately fleeting and unreliable. The only thing that endures, the only source of true and lasting hope, is Christ.

He entered our world in the bleak midwinter, born into poverty and humility, to offer us the gift of salvation. He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on the cross, and rose again, conquering sin and death forever. Because of Him, we have hope – a hope that extends beyond the grave, a hope that cannot be extinguished by the trials and tribulations of this life.

The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that we are not our own. We belong, body and soul, to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the source of my comfort and my hope. Though I don't deserve it, by God's grace, I am His. And because of that, I can face whatever life throws my way, knowing that He is with me always, even unto the end of the age.

This Christmas, let us celebrate the birth of our Savior with renewed hope and joy. Let us remember that He is the light of the world, the one who brings hope to the hopeless and life to the dead. Let us fix our eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith, and find true comfort and peace in His presence.

May the hope of Christmas fill your hearts and homes this season.

In Christ,

Pastor Tim