🎄 December 5th Devotional: Remembering Those We’ve Lost Around Christmas

 

🎄 December 5th Devotional: Remembering Those We’ve Lost Around Christmas

For many, Christmas is a season of joy. But for others, it’s a season of remembering — of missing someone who once filled the room with laughter, prayer, or quiet presence.

Grief doesn’t take a holiday. And when the world is wrapped in lights and celebration, the ache of absence can feel even sharper.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

God doesn’t ask us to hide our sorrow. He meets us in it. He honors the tears, the memories, the quiet moments when we light a candle or whisper a name. And He gently reminds us: love doesn’t end. Legacy lives on.

🎁 Grief Is Not a Disruption — It’s a Thread
It’s part of the story. Part of the love. And part of the way we carry those we’ve lost into the season with us.

🎁 Memory Is Ministry
When we tell their stories, hang their ornaments, or make their favorite dish — we’re doing holy work. We’re keeping their light alive. We’re letting love echo.

🎁 Jesus Understands Loss
He wept at Lazarus’s tomb. He honored the widow’s grief. He came into a world full of sorrow — not to erase it, but to redeem it.

So if this Christmas feels tender, you’re not alone. Your grief is not a burden. It’s a testimony. And God is near.

 

A Prayer for Those Remembering

Father,
This season holds both joy and ache.
I miss the ones who aren’t here —
the voices, the laughter, the love that once filled this space.

Thank You for the gift of memory.
Thank You for the legacy they left behind.
Help me honor them gently —
in the way I speak, the way I serve, the way I love.

Draw near to my heart when it feels heavy.
Let Your comfort be my companion.
Let Your presence be my peace.

And remind me, Lord,
that Christmas is not just about what was —
but about what still is,
and what is yet to come.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.