A Japanese
restaurant is banning couples from dining at their establishment on Christmas
Eve. Why? Because the happiness of the romantic pairs would serve to remind
singles of their loneliness and “would cause severe emotional trauma to members
of our staff." "We will be refusing entry to all couples on December
24, with no exceptions!", a sign outside the establishment reads when
translated.
In other news...A widow has hired an entire
pub to host a Christmas lunch for herself and around 50 lonely strangers who
would otherwise be spending the holiday alone. The 86 year-old woman lost her
husband 12 years ago, does not have any family close to her, and is unable to
travel so to avoid another lonely Christmas in front of the TV with a tin of soup she has reserved every table and will pay
over £1000 for the dinner and drinks.
Both of
these stories that I read last week touch upon a common theme. Far from the
wonderful time of festive food and family fun, Christmas can be painfully
lonely for people of all ages. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. The Christmas story tells us why.
Jesus was
born into the same world of oppression, suffering, heartache, loneliness, fear,
and death as we were, and for many of us the circumstances and surroundings at
our birth - however Spartan - are better than those of the new born Messiah whose
first cot was an animal slop trough. Jesus experienced the same cruel realities
of life in a decaying world to the point of his own violent death. He was
familiar with personal pain, but he also took up our pain - pain that, unlike
Jesus, we deserve if God is truly good and intolerant of evil. Jesus bore the
suffering we deserve. People said he was under God’s judgement (Isa. 53:4) – and in a
substitutionary sense we can say he was. For
“he was
pierced for our transgressions.
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the
punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isa.
53:5).
Jesus also took
our loneliness. On the cross, he felt utterly forsaken by the Father (Matthew
27:46) so that everyone who believes in him will never have to experience that
feeling of rejection by God. Because he
hung lonely on the cross, rejected by men and enduring the punishment of the Father, we
can know the forgiveness and acceptance of God. We can enter a family of people
saved by grace. We can show our love for God even as we continue to
enjoy his love for us in Christ and the love his people share for one another. There's no need to be lonely – if you trust in him you can celebrate the light, love, and life of Christ this Christmas.
1. "Japan restaurant bans couples on Christmas Eve"
2. "Pensioner hires whole pub to hold Christmas lunch for lonely strangers"
This was printed in the worship bulletin of Grace Baptist Church (Wood Green) on 21 December 2014. It is based on a gospel talk given at the church's Christmas Ends Loneliness meal on Tuesday, 16 December 2014.
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