I love the hit television show “This is Us.” Have you watched it?

The show tells the story of the Pearson family – siblings Kevin, Kate, and Randall primarily. It interweaves stories from their childhood, parents, and adult lives to describe who they are and how the different moments from their lives inform who they are today.

What I particularly love about the show, besides that it is one of the best-written shows on network television, is that it is willing to be open about the fact that our lives are more complex than what we like to portray. It doesn’t hide the how Kevin is his father’s son, or how Kate struggles with self-worth, or even how Randall, as the adopted member of the family, wonders about his place in the family. This all while they seek to be an actor, an aspiring singer, or an executive turned stay-at-home dad. The Pearson family is complex and we love them for it.

We love them because we are complex people, yet I wonder if we are open about the complexities of our own life.

Sometimes, if I am being honest with myself, I think we like wearing masks to hide who we are or even our struggles from one another. We like to pretend that we have it all together or that difficult moments do not affect us. We hide our pain and struggles. We hide it from ourselves, our families, and even, yes, God.

In my own life, I know there are things I have hid from God or not completely shared with the Lord out of fear that God would no longer want me. That if I shared with God my struggles or pain that, perhaps, God would see me as a failure and give up on me. I think we all fear that in some way. Would God stop loving me if I was honest about this struggle or pain?

Truth is that is our own projection of God and not the God we see revealed in Scripture. We see in Scripture how God loves us unconditionally and even seeks to bring hope into the places of brokenness. I always love how we see, in story after story, Jesus seeing who people are behind their masks and loving them anyway.

You and I are at our best when we experience God’s love in the places that we often hide from ourselves. We experience growth as disciples when we know that there is a love that accepts us and doesn’t judge us for who we are. God never gives up on us.

I wonder … where do you need to experience that love in your life? Where do you need to know that God loves you no matter what?

A good hymn offers the prayers of our heart. It reflects, musically, the stirrings of our lives and soul as we reflect on God’s love and our need for the Lord’s peace in our lives.

I think that is why I have always loved “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” This song has always been a prayer for me, even when I struggled with my faith for a period of time. The song focuses my heart on God’s hope and my need for God to simply come and be present in my struggles, anxieties, and the concerns of the world.

I especially love verse 6.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

I think about those words and it reminds me of how Advent and Christmas are not a time of celebration for many. Personally, I struggle at Christmas. I’m reminded often of family members who are no longer with us, disappointments from the previous year, and friends I have lost contact with. What about you?

I don’t know about you, but I need that reminder of Emmanuel, God with us, in those pains. I need that reminder in other moments in my life, as well, that God has come in Jesus to walk with us in the struggles and pains we all carry.

No one ever has to travel life alone, yet we often feel as though we must. It is why I believe in the Service of Hope we are doing on December 17 at 6 p.m. This service is intended for all of us, because we all have hurts or pains we carry with us on a regular basis. Places in our lives where we need to experience the hope of Emmanuel to come and “disperse the gloomy clouds of night.”

What would it look like for you, for me, for all of us, to experience hope this Christmas and realize that the hope of Christ has come to walk with us in our places of struggle?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Like you, I will spend it doing my traditional Thanksgiving festivities. I’ll wake-up and bemoan the fact there is nothing on television except for the parade. I’ll consistently ask Abbi what time is dinner and what we are having. At some point, I’ll plop down on the couch for a good nap and watch the games.

At some point, though, I hope to spend a few moments giving thanks to God for the blessings in my life. Scripture reminds us how we are to praise God for the Lord’s wonderful name and actions, which calls us to give thanks for the ways we have seen God at work in our lives.

So, what am I thankful for this year?

I’m thankful for my family, especially Abbi and No, for they have been a constant source of support and strength. I would not be who I am without their love and especially Noah’s laughter and craziness. They take things that can come up in ministry with grace and love, which means a lot to me.

I’m thankful for the experiences that I’ve had this year. I traveled to Israel, spoke to potential new clergy about my call to ministry, was ordained, and moved to a new community. Each of these experiences have helped me to see something new about God’s love and have helped me to appreciate more what it means to be a pastor and follower of God.

I’m thankful for my new faith community and church at Ogden Memorial. They have welcomed my family, allowed me to make first-year mistakes, and have been gracious as I try to navigate learning about the church. They are a special group of people whom I love and respect.

Those are just some of the things that I am thankful for this year. What about you? What are you thankful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving?