Dear beloved brother and sisters, the streets are filled with glittering lights and carols this December. The world is indulging in festive celebration, but are there any among you who feel a sense of loneliness and pain, thinking, “It seems everyone is happy except me”? Are you forcing yourself to smile, or constantly pushing yourself to quickly escape this painful situation?
In the words we meditated on today, John 12:27–36, Jesus was right there.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the streets were filled with shouts and cheers as people waved palm branches. Everyone was caught up in the festive atmosphere, but Jesus, the main character of that celebration, looked toward the shadow of the cross and said, “Now My soul is troubled…” While everyone else was rejoicing, Jesus was already observing His Passion Week.
Our Jesus knows our troubles and was the first to walk that road. Therefore, He speaks to your heart today: “It’s okay not to force a smile.”
My dear brothers and sisters, right now is “the hour” for us.
If your heart is unmoved by the noisy festive sounds of the world, this is the best ‘hour of grace’ to align the frequency of your entire soul only with Jesus. In this time, instead of artificially manufacturing emotional joy, we can make ‘the choice of faith.’
Amidst the loneliness and anguish, Jesus confessed, “Father, glorify Your name,” fixing His gaze upon the Father. When we, too, offer our pain and suffering as ‘a vessel to contain the Lord’s glory,’ the place where we dwell will become the glorious site where God’s will is fulfilled.
Jesus said: “While you have the Light, believe in the Light.” (John 12:36)
The moment the situation feels like pitch-black darkness is the time to believe in Jesus, the ‘Light.’ When your strength is completely gone, to confess, “Jesus is my only Light,” and to take a step of faith toward Jesus, the Light, even when you cannot see Him—that is the genuine faith that pleases God.
I urge you this week to close your eyes to the world's glamour and close your ears to the world's noise, and meditate more deeply on the profound heart of Jesus who bore the cross. Instead of being pessimistic about a reality that is not going according to your will, I bless you to press forward with expectation for God’s work that will begin right where your will is broken.
As we hold fast to Jesus, the Light, and pass through this darkness, I believe that the peace of Jesus Christ within us will bring us life and manifest His glory in our lives.
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
I pray this peace may fill your hearts fully as you await Christmas. God bless you.
Dec 14. 2025
Dr. Jaeyun Lee
