It’s a weary, weary world right now. Maybe you feel it too. It’s a bleak horizon and I can feel the grayness in my soul. A personal weariness, a national weariness, a global weariness. This is a strange subject to write about merely days before Christmas, I agree. But somehow, the joy of Christmas also brings out the weariness of the world.

I was texting someone recently about this, and she replied: “It is a weary world! We took some treat plates around to some neighbors the other day and I realized fully for the first time how elderly our town is. At least 50% of the town is retired, some of them very elderly. Several people invited me/us to stay and chat, several said they love seeing our family walk by…one neighbor stopped back by and dropped off a gift for the kids and said ‘I’m so glad you’re my neighbors!’ And we received three Christmas cards and two thank you cards back in the mail! One of the cards says, ‘nice to see a family together.’ So many lonely folks…I told my husband that our ministry may be to just walk around town as a family and be a little corner of togetherness in people’s lives…the older people seem to really resonate with seeing our family out together.”

As December dawned, Christmas lights began popping up around our town, a little glimmer of light here and there. It seems there are more lights in our town than there were last year; symbolic, perhaps, of our universal need for hope. Never have I loved seeing the lights more than I have this year.

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

It’s a morn that has been breaking for over 2,000 years now, ever since Christmas came–Jesus came. Nobody will stop that new and glorious morn, ever. So through the weariness, we partake in the hope and the rejoicing.

Be of good cheer. Hope is still there, and His name is Jesus. Although we may not be sure of anything else but this, this one thing is truly, truly enough. He is the Reason to rejoice. He is the Reason to walk around town, give out cookie plates, put lights up, sing songs, make phone calls, send cards, give a gift, dress up the little ones, or do whatever you are able to do to help the weary world to rejoice.

“…because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:78

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him…” Romans 15:13 ♥︎