Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The family part of Christmas is going to be a bit hollow and cold this year. None of us wanted a pandemic at Christmas.
It’s been a year of fear, frustration and pain. We’ve suffered anxiety and grief. We’ve had plans altered and dreams dashed. We’ve suffered separation when loved ones fell sick. Some have even lost loved ones in that separation.
We’re used to having it pretty easy. Stores aren’t supposed to be out of the things we want to buy, the things we feel we can’t do without.
Lines outside a grocery store — surely that image can’t be from our generation of plenty. How could our own government officials fail us in this way?
Hard decisions have to be made this Christmas. Should we gather from over the river and through the woods? Should we heed the warnings of those foolish government officials?
The answers are different for every family, whether they’re for a big family gathering as usual or just a couple sharing a Christmas tree and a slice of ham. None of us should judge how others choose to mark this Christmas. Say a prayer instead if you find yourself starting to judge.
A lot of our family’s questions have been taken out of our hands this year it appears. My sweet younger sister is in a hospital far from home waiting on a heart and kidney transplant. Those closest to her are either recovering from coronavirus or lying low to keep from contracting it and passing it to her through family members.
As I write this she’s in a room where she can’t have decorations or a Christmas tree. Even flowers aren’t allowed. She loves Christmas and I know how much it hurts not to share it with her family, especially her grandchildren.
The family side of our Christmas is going to be rough. It’s impossible to hug and hard to laugh like usual on Facetime or over the phone.
But the real celebration of Christmas doesn’t really become lessened by our human sufferings, it should be even greater and more important to us as we experience pain, anxiety and separation.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Luke 2:9-11
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was born into this cruel and sometimes sad world to take on our sins and lift us from the problems we can’t tackle on our own, like a pandemic or a heart transplant or even everlasting life with our Lord.
Keep Jesus in your heart and bring him into your home this Christmas and know soon, very soon, we’ll all truly be home for Christmas.
Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:
