It's Broken

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV).

Many, many Christmases ago I was given an electric train set. It was a wonderful gift. I was young enough that it completely captivated me. Hours passed while I set and reset the track into different configurations. It was such fun. The next morning would change all of that however. I awoke to a broken locomotive. It had “mysteriously” been smashed with a hammer. Of course I was promised to get another, but it would be several days before that could happen. I was heartbroken! It wasn’t a very nice way to spend Christmas. Take it from me, it's no fun dealing with something broken at Christmas.

There are many people who are doing just that this season. Maybe you. It's not a broken train set that puts a cloud over so many Christmases. Rather, it's a broken heart, or a broken relationship, or even a broken dream. This season amplifies so many emotions. It amplifies the loves of your life, the joys of your life, and the pain. As we approach this Christmas, maybe you're feeling very deeply some personal loss or grief, some guilt, some regret, some hurt, or some loneliness. Broken is hard anytime. It's especially hard at Christmas.

This is one of the main reasons Jesus came that first Christmas. Notice the first verse of our reading this morning: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me . . . He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. God saw our brokenness and sent His one and only Son to give us hope. But He didn't just bring a band-aid for the symptom. He went right to the central cause of most human pain, sin. Most of the broken things in our life are either broken because we have been sinned against or because we have sinned. In other words, we have done it our way instead of God's way. We were designed to live for the One who gave us our life. That choice has made us the victims of other people's "me first" living and made other people the victims of our sin. And a lot has been broken.

Christmas is a wonderful time to open your heart to One who said He came "to bind up the brokenhearted." Turn your attention to Him alone today and accept this great healing into your life. Commit yourself to following Jesus in every area of your life. Receive the full restoration of your life through His grace. It’s the gift God has for you today!