Christmas can unite lonely with families

Although people have different ideas about the true meaning of Christmas, there is one common theme found through all the movies, department stores and Hallmark greeting cards — family.

Unfortunately, there are some who have nowhere to go this Christmas. Whether they are transient college students who can’t afford a ticket home, widows, divorced or single adults, there will be some who will be lonely this year.

The good news is that God has made a provision for this already in his word. Psalm 68:5-6a says, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.”

God himself proclaims he is the father, and he refers to Jesus as the son of God. So the idea of families was his, and he promises that he will fill in the gap even when our earthly families fail us. He even goes so far as to say he will place the lonely in families.

Many people will tell you God will simply wrap his arms around you when you feel lonely, and while that is partly true, there is more to his plan than that. There wouldn’t be a single lonely person in the world if God could reach down from Heaven and wrap his arms around us every time we felt lonely.

The truth of the matter is God is looking to Christians to be his arms of love to the lonely. Lonely people may not understand the concept of an invisible God reaching down to comfort them, but they can certainly understand a simple invitation to enjoy a Christmas dinner with a caring family.

While I was in college, there were times when I could not be with my family for either Thanksgiving or Christmas; however, I was never lonely during the holidays because I stayed connected to my church family. Every year I had more invitations to others’ houses than I could accept. That’s because there were godly people who reached out to me in the love of Jesus and placed me in their family.

The primary way that God will place the lonely in families is through a local church. When Christians in the church realize they are God’s hands and feet on the earth to carry out his will, then they will look for the poor, the lonely, the destitute, the fatherless and the widows and care for them.

If your family is anything like mine, you may have some years that look like a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie. You also have years that look like the Griswolds in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” The great thing about families is they are not perfect. It’s the things that go wrong that give you something to laugh about for years to come.

Several weeks ago, we had 25 people at our house for Thanksgiving. We had eaten and visited for awhile when, suddenly, three huge arcs of electricity jumped from pole to pole across the street and we were without power. With no electricity and only candlelight, the darkness turned out to be a blessing. We couldn’t watch TV, we couldn’t play games and we ended huddled up by several candles and flashlights. Instead of our usual routine of stretching out on the recliner, watching the game and grunting at one another when someone scored, we were forced to talk and visit. I’m sure we’ll remember that for years to come.

I encourage you to open your home to someone who is lonely this Christmas. If you are a Christian, be Jesus’ arms of love and show someone the real reason why Jesus was born in that humble barn 2000 years ago. You don’t have to have the perfect house, the perfect tree, the perfect turkey, or the perfect family to show the perfect Savior’s love.

If you are lonely, Jesus cares about you. God cares about you. That’s why he put the local church here on Earth. When you plug in to a body of Christians who love the Lord, they will show you God’s love in action. I encourage you to plug into a local church during this Christmas season; you’ll be glad you did. Merry Christmas!

Jesse Miller is the youth pastor at Family Christian Center in Palmer and can be reached at silverhonda84@hotmail.com.