Pastor Ben Douglass| Special to The Columbus Dispatch
Its the Christmas season,filled withstrings oflights,festivesongsand excitement thatchildren feelwhen you say the word,Christmas.I love it, and youmightas well.
Theres ajoyand lovethat we want to share with everyone around us. But its not easy for everyone.Elvis famously sangthat hes going to have ablue, blue, blue, blue Christmas without the love of his life, and hes not alone.
Here in Columbus,nearly onein twopeople in our city feel lonely, according to a recent BarnaGroupsurvey. Think ofyour neighbors,the guys you work with, the personsittingin trafficnext to you, maybe even yourself. We area societyof manylonelypeople.
We need Christmas.We need to let Godshopeand loveflood our hearts, to rememberwhen in historytheKing of Kingscame tous, right where we werein our depression, in our loneliness, in our anxiety.When we felt the crisis of life,Gods Soncame into our world,andheloved us.He lovesyou.
When I think back to Bethlehem,I remembera young,verypregnantMary,and hernewly mintedhusbandlooking for helpin their crisisof homelessness.Doubtless they had nofamily,or they would havenot been knocking on the doors of strangers.Where would they go?
And in that moment, Mary and Joseph felt the cold realitytoo many knowof being alone.
Is it by accident that Jesus,our Savior,was born in these circumstances?Was it coincidence thattheiralonenessmade itintoournativity scene?
We are created forgenuinecommunity with God and people.In the beginning,by Gods design, he saidit wasnt good forus to bealone.
Weare created forauthenticcommunity,but sin permeates andcorrupts us,sowesettle for lesser communitieswhere we do notlive inrelationship with God, nor freely share the journey of our soul.
Into our loneliness,depression, anxietyand burnout,he came.When we did not love him, when we wererunningfromGod, thelove of Godcame to us.Immanuel, "Godwith us."
Makeno mistake,God loves you. You matter to him.He calls you back into the community you were predestined to know from the foundation of the world.
Mary and Joseph, abandoned by the world, were not abandoned by God. He was with them. Mary carriedJesuswith her everywhere she went. He is not far fromany one of us.
The greatest need of the soul is to know the God who lovesyou andcalls us to turnback towards him and find him. FindGodthis Christmas.Ask him to meet you and speak to your heart.
Wewerecreatedfordeepspiritualcommunity with Godandpeople,greater communitythan acat or dog,than aFacebook group,orrooting foryoursports team can fill.You were designed for aspiritualcommunity-you were designed forhealthyChristian community, made up of familiesand singles, men and women,people of everyage, ethnicities, and even, yes, politicalpositions.
We must live itout andseek it out.Healthy Christian communitylooks like living life togetherbeyondSunday mornings,sharing life together, sharing each others burdens, praying for each other. It looks likegetting beyond thesurface levelmakeup of what we want people to seeand being honest witheach other, and getting into each others messy lives so that we can love each other just like Jesuslovesus.
We must share it. This Christmas,wemust sharethe hope of Christmas and Christian community withthose who arealonephysically,or spiritually, or emotionally.Rememberthe neighbor next door, the coworker who lives alone,the cashier at the grocery store.Invite them into Christmas with you, to know the God who calls them intocommunity.
IfMary and Josephcame to your house, begging for a place to stay, would they find a place to sit downa moment? Would they find a cup of wateror coffee? A hot meal? Wouldthey findcommunity and help?
This Christmas, we are surrounded by lonely people.One out of every two people in our city.People who are wandering, who are far from the heart of God, and arent just superficially lonely, but are spiritually lonely, emotionally lonely, and who need to know Jesus relationally.
These men and women are longing forhonestChristianitycommunity.Lets share it.We need Christmas.
Pastor Ben Douglass isis the lead pastor at Faith Community Church on the West Side.
Keeping the Faith is a column featuring the perspectives of a variety of faith leaders from the Columbus area.
"Blue Christmas" services are meant to offer comfort for those who are grieving or otherwise seeking healing or hope around the holidays. Here are some local churches who host the services:
More:
- Book Excerpt: One Song - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Book Review: The Mitten Tree - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Book Review: The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Book Review: Mama, Will It Snow Tonight? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Book Review: There's No Such Thing as Monsters! - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: Perestroika - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: Nothing Like the Holidays - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Spiritual Literacy Blog: Must We Have Bad Music in Public Spaces? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Angels and Dragons - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: A Soul's Journey - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Review: A Book of Hours - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: A Book of Hours - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Storm - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Skin - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: The Anger Diet - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Newsletter: October 31, 2009: The Abbot Who Declared The Hall Is Finished - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Suffering and the Courage of God - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Life-Changing Affirmations - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: The Answer Man - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: The Dead - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Five Voices, Five Faiths - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: Lemon Tree (Etz Limon) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Documentary Film Review: Unmistaken Child - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- DVD Documentary Film Review: Food, Inc. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: The Workplace Revolution - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Journeys of Courage - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: The Gift of Prayer - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: That Evening Sun - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: The Box - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Relax and Melt into a deep deep meditative state. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Symptoms of Anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Nonduality And Spirituality---Enlightenment - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- How Not to Stop Anxiety Attacks---Part 1 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Natural Treatment for Anxiety disorders--Antidote anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What to do When Anxiety Attacks--Antidote Anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Spiritually charged metaphysical spiritual quote - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Release Technique & Non Duality& Law of attraction - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NonDuality & Manifestation - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- All Is One, One is All !! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Worrying about Anxiety---Antidote Anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Free course on Conquering Anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Manifesting Prosperity,Love manifesting,Dream Manifesting - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Stress and Anxiety Relief Treatment - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Stress and Anxiety Reduction with Brainwave entrainment - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- How to Remove feeling of Fear and Anxiety - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Relieve Stress:Financial Troubles, Low Self Esteem - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Meditation, Enlightenment & Paradox - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- False beliefs and Emotional Healing to develop emotional intelligence - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Millionaire Mind- Meditations Manifesting Abundance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Three Essential requirements to learn Self Hypnosis Quickly - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Non duality and manifestation--Law of attraction - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Law of Attraction-- Manifesting Wealth Beyond Reason - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Secret Busted--- Flaws of the Secret. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Web of Silence - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Living Spiritual Teachers Project: Byron Katie - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Before Tomorrow - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Sadhu Sundar Singh - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Spiritual Literacy Blog: We May Be Born with an Urge to Help - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Everybody's Fine - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Brothers - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Gigante - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: When People Grieve - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: The Last Station - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Feature Film Review: Up in the Air - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Learning to Pray - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Beyond Absence - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Ecology & Liberation - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Feature: The Best Spiritual Books of 2009 (So Far) - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: Julie & Julia - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- DVD Documentary Film Review: The Cove - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- DVD Feature Film Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Review: Spirit of Service - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Spirit of Service - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Review: The Wolf at Twilight - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: The Wolf at Twilight - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Review: Memories of Muhammad - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Memories of Muhammad - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Book Excerpt: Humility Matters for Practicing The Spiritual Life - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]