Matthew 26:36-38 NLT

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said,

"Sit here while I go over there to pray."

He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.

He told them, 

"My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. 

Stay here and keep watch with me."

Matthew 26:36-38 NLT

I'm not sure if Peter, James & John were close enough to hear Jesus second request, or if they noticed his distress and went to him, but Jesus is suffering, and in his pain he wants his trusted people there.

Close.

While our culture paints Christmas as this universal time of joy and family and fun, for many it's not.

Family is not a safe place. Christmas is tainted by violence, abuse, abandonment, betrayal, loss, and grief. 

Jesus wasn't afraid to tell his trusted people what he needed, & he was OK to express all his emotions with them.

Joy and sorrow travel hand in hand in this life. 

Jesus life shows us that both need community, we need one another to share the joys and to walk through the sorrows.

Christmas holds the hope that one day all the sorrows will be fully absorbed not by us, but by Love Itself, and all will be made new.

#wordsofJesus #redletterBible #Christmas #hopeishere 

#joyandsorrow

#onedayallwillbemadenew 

#lovewins