GETTING THROUGH THIS CHRISTMAS WITH JOY
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, December 4, 2022
1. CHOOSE TO GRIEVE YOUR LOSSES.
(2 Corinthians 1:2–4) “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
A. Express your feelings about your loss.
B. Express your objections and wishes that it wasn’t true.
C. Express your experiences from your loss.
“I am sure it is never sadness—a proper, straight natural response to loss—that does people harm, but all the other things, all the resentment, dismay, doubt and self-pity with which it is usually complicated.” –C. S. Lewis, quoted by Richard Exley When You Lose Someone You Love
2. GOD GRIEVES WITH ME.
(Genesis 6:6, NASB) “The Lord … was grieved in His heart.”
(John 11:33–36, GN) “Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people who were with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. … Jesus wept. “See how much he loved him!”
(Psalm 34:18) “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
3. GOD WILL HEAL MY GRIEF.
(1 Peter 5:7, CEV) “God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.”
(Philippians 2:13) “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
A. In Fellowship. (Sit, Stand, and Walk)
(Galatians 6:2, NET) “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
B. In Time.
(Ecclesiastes 3:4) “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. … A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”
GROWTHWORK
(Matthew 26:38, NLT) “He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
- Capture the memories and the losses.
- Pray with those who grieve.
(James 5:13, NLT) “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.”
- Remember God loves you.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13, NIrV) “The Lord loves you.”
(Luke 1:78–79, Message) “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”