Pastor Ben Douglass| Special to The Columbus Dispatch

Its the Christmas season,filled withstrings oflights,festivesongsand excitement thatchildren feelwhen you say the word,Christmas.I love it, and youmightas well.

Theres ajoyand lovethat we want to share with everyone around us. But its not easy for everyone.Elvis famously sangthat hes going to have ablue, blue, blue, blue Christmas without the love of his life, and hes not alone.

Here in Columbus,nearly onein twopeople in our city feel lonely, according to a recent BarnaGroupsurvey. Think ofyour neighbors,the guys you work with, the personsittingin trafficnext to you, maybe even yourself. We area societyof manylonelypeople.

We need Christmas.We need to let Godshopeand loveflood our hearts, to rememberwhen in historytheKing of Kingscame tous, right where we werein our depression, in our loneliness, in our anxiety.When we felt the crisis of life,Gods Soncame into our world,andheloved us.He lovesyou.

When I think back to Bethlehem,I remembera young,verypregnantMary,and hernewly mintedhusbandlooking for helpin their crisisof homelessness.Doubtless they had nofamily,or they would havenot been knocking on the doors of strangers.Where would they go?

And in that moment, Mary and Joseph felt the cold realitytoo many knowof being alone.

Is it by accident that Jesus,our Savior,was born in these circumstances?Was it coincidence thattheiralonenessmade itintoournativity scene?

We are created forgenuinecommunity with God and people.In the beginning,by Gods design, he saidit wasnt good forus to bealone.

Weare created forauthenticcommunity,but sin permeates andcorrupts us,sowesettle for lesser communitieswhere we do notlive inrelationship with God, nor freely share the journey of our soul.

Into our loneliness,depression, anxietyand burnout,he came.When we did not love him, when we wererunningfromGod, thelove of Godcame to us.Immanuel, "Godwith us."

Makeno mistake,God loves you. You matter to him.He calls you back into the community you were predestined to know from the foundation of the world.

Mary and Joseph, abandoned by the world, were not abandoned by God. He was with them. Mary carriedJesuswith her everywhere she went. He is not far fromany one of us.

The greatest need of the soul is to know the God who lovesyou andcalls us to turnback towards him and find him. FindGodthis Christmas.Ask him to meet you and speak to your heart.

Wewerecreatedfordeepspiritualcommunity with Godandpeople,greater communitythan acat or dog,than aFacebook group,orrooting foryoursports team can fill.You were designed for aspiritualcommunity-you were designed forhealthyChristian community, made up of familiesand singles, men and women,people of everyage, ethnicities, and even, yes, politicalpositions.

We must live itout andseek it out.Healthy Christian communitylooks like living life togetherbeyondSunday mornings,sharing life together, sharing each others burdens, praying for each other. It looks likegetting beyond thesurface levelmakeup of what we want people to seeand being honest witheach other, and getting into each others messy lives so that we can love each other just like Jesuslovesus.

We must share it. This Christmas,wemust sharethe hope of Christmas and Christian community withthose who arealonephysically,or spiritually, or emotionally.Rememberthe neighbor next door, the coworker who lives alone,the cashier at the grocery store.Invite them into Christmas with you, to know the God who calls them intocommunity.

IfMary and Josephcame to your house, begging for a place to stay, would they find a place to sit downa moment? Would they find a cup of wateror coffee? A hot meal? Wouldthey findcommunity and help?

This Christmas, we are surrounded by lonely people.One out of every two people in our city.People who are wandering, who are far from the heart of God, and arent just superficially lonely, but are spiritually lonely, emotionally lonely, and who need to know Jesus relationally.

These men and women are longing forhonestChristianitycommunity.Lets share it.We need Christmas.

Pastor Ben Douglass isis the lead pastor at Faith Community Church on the West Side.

Keeping the Faith is a column featuring the perspectives of a variety of faith leaders from the Columbus area.

"Blue Christmas" services are meant to offer comfort for those who are grieving or otherwise seeking healing or hope around the holidays. Here are some local churches who host the services:

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Column: This Christmas, reach out to those who are spiritually, emotionally lonely - The Columbus Dispatch