Heartache in Advent

My heart hurts.

It hurts a little extra now that I am a mom. I've been looking down at our son the past few days as he nurses and wondering how any mother can survive losing a child to horrific violence like that at Sandy Hook Elementary. It boggles the mind.

Late Friday night I realized I couldn't preach my planned and prepared upbeat sermon about the wise men journeying to see Jesus. So I scrapped it and started anew. It was the most raw sermon I've preached, one of the most personal, and definitely the most emotional.

I don't often cry in the pulpit, but I did this Sunday. Much of the church cried, too.

Advent is a season of hope, but it's also one of lament. There's a lot wrong down here, and it hurts.

I can't post the text because I preached from an outline, but the sermon can be found here: An Advent Lament.

A beautiful and haunting version of the hymn I mention can be found here: I Heard the Bells by Casting Crowns

Hold your little ones close, friends. And pray.

Come, Lord Jesus!