Christmas Can Be A Time Of Sorrow For Many People

We’ve got a great sermon for this time of the year. I know a lot of you may or may not believe in Christmas or think that it could be a pagan celebration, or you say, “Hey, it’s not really when Jesus was born.”

Guess what?—we’ve had a lot of sermons about Christmas in the past. Feel free to check them out on our website. We have them about Jesus’s birthday, we have them about the wise men, we have all these different sermons.

So whether or not you believe in the meaning of Christmas or different things or what you believe—listen to the sermon and take part in the messages in this time of year and realize that yes, it is a celebration.

We are celebrating Christ, but is the timing right? No, it’s not. Is it a pagan holiday, originally? Yes, it was, so we’ll just cut through to that.

But it doesn’t mean you need to be obstinate or against. You can still say Merry Christmas to others, different things like that.

And I understand there are a lot of people out there that don’t like the time of Christmas—because they feel like they cannot keep up with society or buy nice presents for those they love.

Many people have experienced sadness or loss around Christmas. But I’m telling you, don’t be discouraged because guess what?—this in history has been a time of sorrow, and that’s what this sermon is about today as “Christmas A Time Of Sorrow.”

In the future, next year probably, we can get to a history of the origins of the holiday itself, what it means, all of that kind of stuff.

We’ve done some of those in the past, so I really hope that you’ll consider watching them if you haven’t already. And if you’ve been with us for years and you’ve been watching our sermons, then I really encourage you to take some time while all your family is gathered together.

You guys might be arguing, or you’re like, “Man, I can’t wait to go home, or I can’t wait for them to leave my house, or whatever.” Take some time to find maybe some of those old messages from last Christmas or the year before or whenever, and watch them again with your family and talk about them.

Because that will give you time together, maybe a break from the chaos, and also some good discussion on what it really means or what it could mean in this world and in this life. Should you follow it, should you not? How can you participate in something if it might not be of the Bible or Godly?

Listen, remember the purpose is to live a Godly life no matter what time of year. So if you contribute and you participate in that year-round, no problem.

All right, let’s get into “Christmas A Time Of Sorrow”, and by Christmas, I’m saying this time of year, the end of the year. Coming into the new year, when the calendar year is over, what happened biblically around that time? So that’s what we’re diving into.

And if you maybe have lost someone or maybe growing up, you never got presents and everybody else did, and so you kind of have a scar in your heart about this.

Or you don’t really like everything—you’re kind of a Scrooge or a humbug. Don’t worry about that, just enjoy the magic of the year. The time I personally — I enjoy this is the only time of year that I like snow.

I like there to be snow from maybe the beginning of December to the end of January, and that’s it. And to me, okay, that’s great, that helps with the maybe the magic of it, the beauty God gave it to us enjoy it.

And I also enjoy all of the Hallmark movies now, not all because Hallmark, like everything else, is starting to become mainstream. They’re introducing poor values, they’re taking God out of things.

They used to say in the movies they would have certain sayings like, “If you want to make God laugh, make plans.” Now they’re even saying no they replaced it in recent movies— “If you want to make fate laugh.” What? Fate?

And they used to have, men and women getting together in romance movies, traditional family values. Now they’ve got divorced people in there, they’ve got gay marriages going on.

Again, that’s not what the Bible says is true and right. So we know that these movie makers then are obviously not following the Bible.

Now I didn’t say that they would or that they should be, I mean, I believe they should be. But Hallmark traditionally, maybe their values weren’t. I mean, look at different colleges. Harvard used to be based on the Bible, truth of what? Christ, now it’s just truth.

So people remove God from everything, and that’s what this world is going to continue to do. So just remember we are not of the world, we are in the world, and don’t be discouraged. Enjoy the time of year and enjoy the season because that’s what it is—it’s a season. And remember that as a Christian, you are to be Christlike year-round.

So let’s take a look at this time of year historically, in the Bible, it was a time of sorrow. We go to the birth of Christ, this was the only joyous occasion that happened now. Christ wasn’t even born in December, so we have a sermon on that, “When Was Jesus Born?”

You can check that out, it was long before this, but the timeline continues. So we believe—I’m a spoiler alert—he was born several months—I’m not even going to give you the month—several months before December.

And then in the months following, up to December, there was a lot of sorrow, a lot of trouble, a lot of turmoil, a lot of struggle in that time frame.

So let’s go to it. Where was he born, first of all? Bethlehem, yes, that is accurate, so that place is very significant. Why was he born there and not somewhere else? He was born in a place of sorrow and maybe even disgrace.

The first time Bethlehem is even mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 35. Jacob, his wife Rachel — Okay, Rachel and Jacob. If you’re not familiar with the story. This is a guy, he met this girl, and he is madly in love with her, and he’s like, “I want to marry her, it’s my right.”

So he says, “I’ll work for her,” and his father-in-law, he says, “All right, you work for me for seven years, and you can marry her.”

So he waits seven years to marry this woman, and when the wedding happens and everything’s going on, the father-in-law gives his oldest daughter, Leah, first. Jacob is like, “Wait a minute, what’s going on here?”

“No, I worked for Rachel,” and the guy said, “No, you can’t. I have to give the eldest daughter before the younger one.”

“So nope, if you want to have Rachel, fine, but you have to wait a little more time, and you have to work for me for seven more years.”
Now, did he have to wait seven more years to marry Rachel? No, he just waited until the first time period was over with Leah, then he could marry Rachel later.

But then he still had to work another seven years in payment of that debt. Are you kidding me? So he had to work 14 years to get the woman he truly loved, so that’s how much he loved and was devoted to his wife, Rachel.

Okay, so the first time back to Bethlehem, the first time Bethlehem was mentioned in the Bible was when Rachel died. Are you kidding me? His beloved wife dies. So let’s go to Genesis 35:19.

Genesis 35:19 says, “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” All right, later when Jacob is telling his story, he’s giving his story to Joseph, which was the son of Rachel. She only had two children, Rachel and Benjamin. Why?

Because God knew that Leah was not loved as much as Rachel, so he blessed Leah’s womb, and she had tons of children. Twelve sons or more—well, twelve tribes of Israel—and then there’s Joseph, Benjamin, and then we have Joseph’s children, Manasseh and Ephraim.

So Jacob is telling his story now to them when he is about to give the blessings. And what is he telling them? This is Genesis 48:7, he says, “As I was returning from Paddan to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

So when Bethlehem is mentioned, his wife died, and that’s where she is buried. So this is sorrow, this is great distress, trouble, turmoil.

Let’s continue on, shall we? Because, not only was this sorrow and turmoil going on, but later Jacob’s son Reuben has sexual relations with his father’s spouse, or wife, or concubine.

Which is determined, is a horrible dishonor. It’s wrong, it’s illegal in this time. I mean, it’s still not right now. If you had a stepparent and you decided you were going to sleep with them, that’s wrong. You can’t do that. What a disgrace to your father.

So let’s look at the Bible there, Genesis Chapter 35, Verse 22, Genesis 35:22 says, “While Israel was living in that region…” Now Israel is Jacob so, “While Jacob was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.”

Are you kidding me? While he was in that region, his son Reuben went in and took his concubine, and slept with her. That’s a horrible disgrace, dishonor, and this was in that region of Bethlehem.

So first we have a death. So sadness, sorrow, then we have disgrace and dishonor. Bethlehem is also a place of sheep, where the sheep would be raised for sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem.

So Jesus, who would later become what? A sacrifice for all sins was born in Bethlehem. Exactly like the sheep are born in Bethlehem and raised there to be sacrificed in where? Jerusalem. Where did Jesus die? Jerusalem, or that area on Golgatha, the Skull, the Mount.

He had that walk through the city and was on the cross. Very, very poetic or ironic, coincidental? No, prophetic would be the proper term. Let’s go to Luke.

Luke Chapter 2, Verse 8, Luke 2:8 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Nearby. Well, in this context, we’re talking about Bethlehem.

So shepherds were nearby, watching over their flocks. Why? Why were there shepherds there? What was the purpose of raising those flocks?

They were raising those flocks to be without blemish so that the travelers coming in could purchase a sheep and bring it the short distance to Bethlehem. Now, you say, why wouldn’t they raise their own from wherever they were coming from? Well, because it was like a multiple days’ journey.

If someone’s traveling for, let’s say, 14 days, two weeks from where they live to get to Jerusalem to offer their annual sacrifice, or their however often they can go there.

Some people couldn’t go there every year. Some people went more. So whenever they could get there, if they had their own perfect sheep without blemish and they were going to bring it, what happens if along the journey that sheep breaks a leg?

Or something happens to it, and it falls in the mud, and it’s no longer clean? Or something happens, and it gets a thorn in its eye, and now it’s got a scratch? It’s no longer perfect and without blemish.

So the sheep were raised—they were born and raised in Bethlehem—to be perfect sheep without blemish. So that the travelers could come in and be like, “Okay, give me one, okay I’ll buy it, and I’ll bring it the short distance.”

Hopefully, during that short distance, nothing happened, no tragedy befell that sheep, and then they could sacrifice and slaughter it to atone for their sins. Jesus—born the Lamb of God, perfect, without sin—went to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Perfect prophetic, right there.

So it is a place to raise things for sacrifice. Travelers would stop there and purchase them. Bethlehem was the source for the sacrifice for people’s sins.

Now I’m saying that around this time of year then, if Bethlehem is where Jesus was born and that’s what we remember—sorrow. This place is a place of sadness and sorrow and disgrace and trouble and dishonor.

Let’s look more around the time frame as well as what’s going on. What else happened in this period of time?

Well, if you are familiar with the Bible and familiar with the stories. Or even familiar with extra Apothic or Apocrypha texts or historical texts, like Josephus or the books of the Maccabees or other things that share more about the historical time. You understand that during this time when Jesus was born, a few months before December, the Magi came.

We had a sermon about the “Magi—The Wise Men.” You can check out the playlist in a card up here. We had a sermon about them. They journeyed to go see the child—the Christ child. Along the way, they stopped and saw Herod, told him about it, they saw the stars, then they continued on.

But then Herod said, “Hey, I want to know who this King of the Jews is supposed to be. Let me know.”

And of course, on their way home, they didn’t go back to Herod and tell him because they realized Herod was malicious in his intent. He didn’t really want to go worship.

And what did Herod end up doing when he realized the Magi didn’t come back? He said, “Kill all the babies.” How old? Under two years old.

So that means that by the time the Magi got to Christ—which we know this in the Bible, we did this in our sermon series, but I’ll give you a recap here—they went to the house Mary and Joseph were living in, knocked on the door, went in, presented gifts, and worshiped Him.

So they weren’t really in the stable or in the cave with the animals at the time of birth. That means Jesus would have been a couple of years old or maybe even a little older.

If He was born a few months before, two years later would have been either before Christmas time, before the December month, or even could have been after.

But around that time period, the Magi visited, presented the gifts, and then Herod said, “No, we’re going to slaughter these people.”

So if it was two years, alright, that would be a few months before December. Alright, by the time Herod realized those Magi didn’t come back, this could have been right around when we traditionally celebrate Christmas, or the end of December, that Herod said, “Slaughter them. Every infant under two years old”.

Because guess what? “I know that it’s been about two years, so anyone two years or younger—kill.”

In that area, not in the whole world or his whole kingdom, just in that area of Bethlehem—slaughter them. Now, how many would this have been?

People exaggerate this. People go all crazy through this and say he killed thousands of babies. No, there were probably only a thousand people living in that area. So of a thousand people population, how many babies would there have been under two years old?

Well, it depends on the time in history. But at that time, estimated—you can look it up, you can argue, whatever you want to do—but do some research.

I’m telling you, based on research, that if there was a population of about a thousand, he probably killed about less than 20 or 30 babies. 20, 25, or under babies.

Now, am I saying that’s a good thing? No, of course not. But we know that Joseph and Mary were told to leave so that Jesus would not be killed—so that He would not be slaughtered in what is termed the “Massacre of the Innocents.”

That’s very significant. They left. Let’s go to the Book of Matthew to learn a little more about this.

Matthew 2:16 says, “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”

Two years old and younger, in the vicinity of Bethlehem. So we know that it wasn’t in the whole kingdom or the whole region—it was in that area.

Population? About a thousand. Check it out with historians—about 20 babies. Then it continues on. Then what was said with the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled.

So let’s check that out. Jeremiah 31:15 says, This is what the Lord says, “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because her children are no more.”

We have a lot of sorrow around this time of year. This place, Bethlehem, is a place of raising things up to be slaughtered and sacrificed.

Alright, the first time it’s mentioned, Jacob’s beloved wife, who? Rachel died and was buried there. Also, his son sleeps with his concubine—disgrace, dishonor.

Jesus was born there to be a sacrifice. Then we also have Herod slaughtering all of these infants in that area. Around this same time, two years later. This is a place, and this time of year can be a time of sorrow and disgrace.

And so, if that’s something in your life—where you feel like this is a time of sadness, or it’s hard for you to see the joy in the season because a beloved one died around this time for you, or this is your first Christmas without so-and-so—don’t worry.

Take heart and find joy in this season. Remember that Jesus is not only the reason for this season but for every season in life.

And embrace that fact—that this is a time of year that people tend to get in a Christmas spirit.
And remind them that, “Hey, this Christmas spirit should be about being Christlike, and you should be doing it all year round.”

And help them see what the reason for living in all seasons is. It’s Jesus. So let your joy come from Him. We have a sermon on that. “Let your joy come from the Lord.”

And remember that even though this may be a time of sadness or of sorrow or of disgrace, it doesn’t have to be for you. It can be a time of joy.

A time that is great for you to enjoy loved ones and family and the blessings that God has given you.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you so much for this time together. Thank you for the excellent prophecy that you have put in the Bible for us to have hindsight on.

I ask that people would learn and understand it, that they would recognize it and see it, and that they would know that this place of Bethlehem is very significant.

We have a sermon on that as well—“The Significance Of This Place, Bethlehem.”

And God, that they would really dive in, that they would spend time with their loved ones, and that they would learn more about You.

That they would have conversations about You. That they would always keep this book on their lips—meditating on it day and night. Talking about it while they’re at home with their friends and family and while they’re out and about with them as well.

That they would remember the true meaning of every season is You and what You have done for them. And that they would share that with others, no matter when the time of year is.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hey, I hope you have a great time with your friends and family. And remember what Jesus has done for you. And tell others about that as well.

Have a great week, and God bless.