Come, Lord Jesus

My eyes are heavy from tears.  I cannot fathom the events of today that happened in Newtown, Connecticut where 26 people were massacred at a quaint small town elementary school.  20 of them little children...whose parents had dropped them off in carpool line or hugged them goodbye as they jumped on the bus...never knowing it would be the last time they saw them alive.  There will be unopened presents this Christmas and empty seats at the dinner table.  Empty carseats and broken dreams.  It's thoughts like those that overwhelm me.  That make the tears flow.  I'm not sure I will ever take for granted my children hopping off their bus every afternoon.  I'm not sure I've ever felt a tragedy like this shake me to the core of my being.

I just can't stop thinking about my own sweet little kindergartner and 3rd grader who go to school a mere mile away and who sit everyday in their classrooms thankfully still innocent and naive of the world's evil around them.  It is so hard to comprehend how life can change in an instant.  One reporter said emphatically tonight...."The DEVIL walked into that school today."  I firmly believe that.  And yet, it the midst of it all is a God who is sovereign and good and is still on His throne.  He is all too familiar with suffering and darkness and death.  But even more, He is the author of Hope, Life, and Light.

In times like this, I must cling to Jesus.  It feels hard right now.  The sick feeling in my stomach and the heaviness in my heart seems almost unbearable and I didn't even live the tragedy.  I still have all four of my children safely tucked into bed.  The fear seems crippling as I think about all that could happen to my own little ones when they are away from my care.

BUT GOD...sent His son into our world for just this reason.

He knew (and knows) all these things we are feeling right now.  He lived them...so we could have hope and a future that will one day erase the evil we have witnessed today.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

   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. 

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, 

praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 Luke 2:8-14 

Max Lucado, a Christian author and pastor,  said today in a blog post of his own...

"Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us."

Today especially, let's cling to the truth that our Savior has come.  It is good news in the midst of tragedy.  And He will come again to make all things new.  Oh, how I long for that day!