At times, it felt as if the negative news that came out over the past weekend was nonstop. With mass shootings in Rhode Island and Australia, the murder of a Hollywood icon and his wife by their son, and closer to home, the death of two men in a horrific car crash right here in Sampson County, it can be difficult to keep one’s holiday spirit intact.
Many people — both ones we may know and those we have never met — will unexpectedly be spending their 2025 Christmas season in mourning. What’s supposed to be the most joyous time of the year has become a nightmare for too many of us. We grieve with them all, but also strive to keep in mind one thing — hope is never truly lost.
Several of our staff attended Christmas cantatas on Sunday evening, each one with a message that hope was born more than a thousand years ago, and it remains today.
Christmas carols are more than just festive tunes that warm our hearts each holiday season. They’re a reminder that God sent his Son to Earth in order to save us. When things feel hopeless, remember the sacrifice that was made for the good of all people, no matter where you’re from or the color of your skin or even your beliefs. All of us. Every single one who will believe.
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,” the classic “O’ Holy Night” tells us. It’s more than just lyrics of a song. It is the truth, played out over stirring music. Then there’s the old favorite, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” which reminds us that Jesus was born to not only take on the burden of our sins, but to offer us peace and hope — “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”
Another classic Christmas song, albeit a more modern one, “Mary, Did You Know?” goes, “This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.”
These songs are all a way to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. The birth of a child who would go on to sacrifice Himself for all of us.
And while the holidays are no doubt difficult for those of us who are grieving the loss of a loved one, there is always hope.
To use a secular quote, from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the elf Arwen says, “There is still hope.” And she’s right. Even when so many bad things have happened, hope remains. Which reminds us of another great quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, this one “The Two Towers,” spoken by the hobbit Samwise Gamgee: “How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”
In the face of unfathomable evil, we must remember that like Sam said, there’s some good in this world. Just look at this past weekend as an example. Yes, there were terrible, tragic events. But there were also Christmas parades, in Clinton and Roseboro, where people enjoyed themselves and didn’t think about their worries for an hour or so; they just enjoyed the festivities of the holidays.
We must hold onto that light, and that hope, this Christmas season, and always.