8 Uplifting Verses to Encourage Those Grieving This Christmas
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The first Christmas after my mother passed was sorrowful. I did not want to hang lights or decorate a tree. Every festive activity was loaded with memories of my mother, and I did not feel up to unpacking those reminders. It was all too painful.
Interestingly, though, I better grasped the message of Christmas that year, of Jesus’ coming into the world to save us. For He truly was the Light in my darkness. In Him there was hope even though I felt broken. Although I did not find enjoyment in the normal celebrations surrounding the holiday, I was comforted by knowing that Christ was with me, and He had come to destroy the darkness of sin and death. One day He will come again to bring fulfillment to all the promises of Scripture.
Perhaps you are facing something similar to what I experienced – the first Christmas without a loved one or friend. Or a family member has been given a dire diagnosis with not much time to live. Maybe the grief of losing someone many years ago is rising with a renewed ache.
May the following list of verses shine in the darkness. They are not meant to be magical sayings that instantly dissolve our pain. But they show us that we are not alone in our sadness and loss. There is a better day to come, one that is more beautiful and joyous than any holiday we have experienced. So, we grieve and hold out our hurts to the Lord who is with us as the Giver of life and hope. Through our tears, we can look forward to His soon return and an eternity where the darkness of evil and death will never again shroud us.
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1. Isaiah 9:6
Whether on Christmas cards or in sermons, we often read or hear this verse around the holidays. Yet, despite the familiarity lots of Christians have with this verse, there is much in the words to draw encouragement during times of sorrow.
A child was born and a Son was given on that night in Bethlehem. Jesus is “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” as the One who is majestic and full of wisdom, Yahweh incarnate, and who offers enduring peace regardless of circumstances (Isaiah 9:6). And these titles still apply to Christ’s work in our lives today.
But what is also comforting about this verse is that it has a future component – Jesus will one day physically rule on earth with an everlasting Kingdom. As the verse says, “the government will be on his shoulders.” He is the promised King who will rule on the throne of David in the future (Luke 1:32-33).
Although it can be hard to fully understand or visualize it now with the pain of loss, there is another world coming. One in which we will live in joy with our Savior as He rules over the earth in justice and goodness. Our present world of death and suffering will end.
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2. Isaiah 25:6-9
In another passage talking about the coming Kingdom, Isaiah describes a great feast with quality food and drink. Such a celebration will be unrivaled – even our best Christmas memory will not compare to this festive gathering.
Why? Because the Lord “will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:7-8). On that day, we will rejoice in our God and praise Him for the salvation He has given us (Isaiah 25:9).
Maybe this year, the Christmas gathering does not look the same. A loved one or friend is not present. Regardless of whether they passed this year or many years ago, grief is difficult. Even amid this pain, though, we have this promise that a better celebration is coming, one that will never be interrupted or lessened because of death. Our Savior will destroy death, and no more tears of loss will fall. This is not a wishful dream, but an assured hope. For “The Lord has spoken,” and what He promised will be fulfilled (Isaiah 25:8).
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3. Matthew 1:23
The amazing message of Christmas is that God the Son came into the world, born of a virgin, to save us from our sins. His name and other titles all point to His purpose and identity. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. They were to name this miraculous child Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
But other titles were also given to the Savior. In addition to Isaiah’s list of majestic titles such as Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace, Jesus was also called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). Matthew explains that this name means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). And that is exactly who Jesus is – God the Son who took on flesh to live among us and die for us (see John 1:14).
Though the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He has promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). This includes times of joy as well as grief. Seasons of sorrow do not mean our Lord has left us. God is with us in our pain, walking beside us as we travel the valley of the shadow of death.
The good news of Christmas is that our God came and entered our darkness. He is also here with us now. And He will soon return physically to earth. Until then, we can find comfort knowing we are never alone.
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4. John 1:5
There are times when the darkness in the world seems to be winning. We see it in the news with wars and natural disasters, in the homeless and hurting outside our door, and in our lives. Illness and decay slowly steal our breath, and loved ones die long before we are ready to say goodbye. During such seasons, we can struggle to find hope.
This is when Scripture can speak powerfully into our lives. When evil appears to be winning, we need the reminder that the Light has overcome. As John 1:5 tells us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The previous verse tells us that Jesus is the Light (John 1:4). Despite the overwhelming sin in the world, nothing will ever defeat or overthrow Christ. Even in the moments when life feels hopeless, Jesus remains the Light of the World (John 8:12).
Although death and sin wreak havoc on the earth now, we can find comfort knowing that the days of evil are numbered. Jesus is the victor and has already conquered sin and death. One day soon He will return to forever destroy evil. In eternity, there will be no more darkness. We will walk by the light of the Lord (Revelation 22:5).
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5. John 11:25-26
The account of Jesus’ reaction to the death of his friend, Lazarus, is worth studying when we are grieving. Not once did Jesus tell the mourners to stop their weeping, nor did He shame Lazarus’ sisters for their grief. Instead, He wept with them (John 11:35).
He also offered the encouraging truth that no matter what happens, life is found in Him. To Martha, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). Martha knew that her brother would rise at the resurrection, but she needed to know that the One who held life was present with her: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Death snatches our friends and loved ones away. However, there is One more powerful than the grave. He entered life as a small baby that first Christmas, and He carried out His mission to bear our sins on the cross. Not only did He lay down His life for us, but He took it up again (John 10:18). And if we believe in Him, then we can be assured that death cannot hold us, or our believing loved ones.
The good news is that even if we die, in Christ we will live. The same is true for anyone who has placed faith in Jesus, including those we love.
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6. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
Advent and Christmas are about Jesus’ first coming, but these holidays also look forward to His return. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians, the return of Christ can bring comfort to those who grieve. Unlike what the Thessalonian believers assumed, their believing loved ones would rise first at Jesus’ coming – they would not miss the return of the Savior (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15). Hope was present despite sorrow.
These verses are controversial to many individuals, since various interpretations related to the study of the end times surround 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. However, we miss the main message of the passage when we narrow it down to a strict eschatological system. The promise of seeing our loved ones with Christ at His coming, and meeting Him in the air, was meant to bring comfort, not spark arguments. As Paul said, “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
The promise of Jesus’ second coming can bring us comfort during times of grief if we look past the interpretative arguments and grasp onto the promise of being with our Lord forever. We will see our loved ones again in resurrected bodies that are no longer hindered by disease or death – all because Jesus triumphed over the grave. He is the reason we can grieve with hope.
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7. 1 Peter 1:3-4
Even if we follow a consistent routine, things around us constantly change. The seasons transition. Friends come and go in our lives. Beloved possessions deteriorate. Children grow up and leave. Loved ones die.
Things in life change, but something that remains steady is our assured inheritance in Christ. Believers in Jesus’ death and resurrection have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Our eternal life with the Lord and varying rewards can never deteriorate or be stolen. They will never wear out like old clothing, nor can they be affected by death. Because of Jesus, who rose to life and is forever alive, we have a living hope that is permanent and assured.
After experiencing the death of someone close to us, we know that nothing will ever be the same. But this is why the promise of our inheritance with the Lord can give us strength. Situations and people in our lives will shift and leave. Yet our Lord remains the same, as do His promises. Nothing can snatch away our inheritance; it is stored in heaven and based on Jesus’ saving work.
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8. Revelation 21:1-4
Scripture never downplays the reality of sorrow and suffering. In fact, we find numerous examples of people in the Bible who underwent trials and hardships. God also entered our suffering when He became a man and died on the cross to free us from the punishment and penalty of sin. He came to rescue us even though He was not the One who brought brokenness into the world.
Though we do not deserve the Lord’s loving grace, He has saved us and promised us a wonderful future with Him. At the end of the great Story – which is also a grand beginning – God will again dwell with humankind on a restored earth. The Bible says, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:3-4).
Our Lord will be with us forever. No longer will we endure the suffering of living in a fallen world. We will be made whole, into the people God always intended us to be. And He will be our God (Revelation 21:3).
In eternity, the Lord will heal us of all our lingering grief. We will find the other side to the valley of the shadow of death and enter the rest God has prepared for us. He will wipe away every tear as we realize that we are where we were always meant to be with the One for whom we were made. We will finally be home.
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