What can Christmas mean to someone battling Cancer?
It is the Christmas season again and you know you should be excited, but you are not in the mood this year because you have recently been diagnosed with cancer. The medical professionals have been very honest with you and have indicated that there is not a lot they can do for you. You may be eligible for a clinical trial, but you won’t find out if you are eligible for the trial until after the first of the year. As a result, your head is spinning, your heart is constantly racing, and you are starting to feel a little depressed. You secretly admit to yourself that your cancer diagnosis has rocked your world more than anything you have ever encountered before in your life and you just do not know what to do or how to respond. As a result, you just do not feel like celebrating Christmas like you normally do. You secretly think to yourself; “I just wish everyone would keep their ho-ho-ho’s and their merry Christmases to themselves this year as I am just not in the Christmas mood”. If a cancer diagnosis is making you feel like this during the holiday season, what can Christmas mean to you this year?
Before I get into what Christmas can mean to someone enduring a cancer trial, what exactly is Christmas anyway and why do we always celebrate it? Our world tells us it is all about Christmas traditions and customs which include trips to visit Santa Claus, gifts and cards to loved ones and friends, family get-togethers, Christmas concerts, and festive holiday parties. If you are in a house like mine, it also means watching those uplifting Hallmark Channel Christmas shows. If these types of traditions are what Christmas is really all about, why are so many people left feeling stressed out and uninspired during the holiday season? For big questions like “what is Christmas”, I think we need to quote a Christmas expert:
“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store; maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” (The Grinch)
I don’t seriously think many of us are going to look to “The Grinch” for advice on what Christmas is all about. However, “The Grinch” is definitely correct in pointing out that Christmas doesn’t come from a store and there is a lot more behind the holiday than what most people realize. If we cannot get Christmas advice from a Christmas expert like “The Grinch”, where can we turn for answers to some of life’s biggest questions like “what is Christmas”? Since Christmas is a Christian holiday, the bible is the logical place to turn for answers on “what is Christmas”. Thankfully, some of the biggest questions in life are asked in the Bible and the good news is that the Bible also provides the answers.
While the Christmas traditions and customs I referenced earlier are intended to make us all feel loved and cared for during the Christmas season, most of them do not have anything to do with the real reasons Christmas should be celebrated. In fact, these customs and traditions might distract people from gaining a true, biblical understanding of why Christmas should provide ALL who celebrate it with feelings of true joy, happiness and jubilance.
Most of us know that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, the Magi brought Jesus gifts shortly after his birth in Bethlehem and those gifts are the reason why so many of us participate in the annual
Christmas tradition of giving gifts to each other on Christmas morning. Perhaps this was the first of many Christmas traditions I mentioned earlier? I am guessing “Snapfish” Christmas cards were not available when Jesus was born. If Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth and if the bible is the logical place to turn for answers on “what is Christmas”, what does the bible have to say about Jesus’ birth? Before I start referencing a few of the biblical verses about His birth, I think it is important to point out that the Bible is one book telling one story that culminates in One Person: Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, which contains the first 39 books in the Bible, prepares the way for and points to Christ. Here below are three of the Old Testament messianic prophesies:
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
And I will put enmity, between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
In the bible, Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy of the coming of Christ. Not only is this a prophecy of his birth, but it is also a prophecy of his work.
The New Testament, which contains the last 27 books of the bible, reveals and explains who Jesus is. The first 4 books of the New Testament are called the Gospels and they narrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Since Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth, here below are three of the verses from the Gospels which discuss the birth of Jesus:
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:21-23)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
“…And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
In addition to the historical significance and spiritual connotations associated with each of these verses, another main reason I have listed the preceding 6 verses is to show that the bible both predicted or prophesized that Jesus was coming (i.e. His birth) and the bible also reveals and explains who He is.
Now that I have provided a brief overview of what the bible has to say about the birth of Jesus, what exactly does His birth mean to someone who is battling cancer? As stated in John 1:14 above, “the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”. One of the reasons we celebrate Christmas is God’s son, Jesus, came to earth by being born to a virgin and He dwelt or lived among us. Since he lived on earth, He understands pain and suffering and many other emotions people experience during a cancer trial. As stated in Luke 1:33 above, “His (Jesus) kingdom there will be no end”. Yes, if you believe in Jesus as your Lord, Savior and King, then there will be no end to your life if you end up succumbing to your cancer trial. In other words, a terminal cancer trial cannot kill a person’s soul and Jesus provides eternal life to all who believe in Him. Why should this knowledge make the cancer patient happy and joyful all the time, including at Christmas time? Christianquotes.info tells us:
“When we trust in Christ, we can finally rest in the sovereignty of God and that should make us happy because we know that everything that happens, good and bad, will work out for our very best (Rom 8:28). The happiness of the world is fleeting; it comes and goes. That’s because happiness is based upon “happenings” and when what happens is not good, they lose their happiness but when the believer runs into trouble, they can rest in Christ, knowing that this world today can’t compare with what’s coming (Rom 8:18).”
My Indiana Hoosiers played in the 2019 Jimmy V College Basketball Classic in NYC on 12-10-19. The Jimmy V foundation has raised over 250 million dollars for cancer research over the past 25 years. Jimmy Valvano, a former basketball coach (He won the NCAA Championship at NC State in 1983) and a former broadcaster for ESPN and ABC sports, died of adenocarcinoma on April 28, 1993. During the television coverage of those college basketball games (including the game played by my Indiana Hoosiers – they won their game in case you are interested) in NYC on 12-10-19, ESPN spent a lot of time replaying the ESPY award speeches of Jimmy Valvano and Stuart Scott, an ESPN broadcaster who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2015. Stuart Scott, author of Every Day I Fight, said the following during his speech at the 2014 ESPY awards:
"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer”, Scott told the audience. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”
I always loved watching Stuart Scott entertain his audience on ESPN’s SportsCenter. He always made me laugh and I was a fan of his broadcasts at ESPN. Who can forget his “Boo-Yah’s” and “as cool as the other side of the pillow” comments? Even though I was a fan of Stuart Scott, I am not a fan of his preceding quote at the 2014 ESPY awards. Why? His quote sounds inspiring, but, if you have cancer, do you really believe it? Before I analyze what Stuart Scott said here in this quote, I think it is important to point out that cancer is a monumental medical diagnosis that puts your own mortality at the forefront of your mind. Since it reminds you that you are not going to live forever, cancer has a way of changing your view of the world and it can also impact what you value the most in your daily living. A cancer diagnosis has a way of pushing aside previous beliefs and priorities, causing you to focus on the activities and relationships which you treasure the most.
As for the Stuart Scott quote, what exactly does he mean by "When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer”? I am going to state the obvious here, but if you lose your life to cancer, you are dead! Since death is so final, how is dying not losing to cancer? I am also really struggling with his comments about “how you live” and “the manner in which you live”. After your life is over, why does it really matter how you lived during your cancer trial? Perhaps he is suggesting it looks good for your image if you live your life during a cancer trial in a certain way? Perhaps he is suggesting you will encourage others to go out and be strong during their cancer trial? Perhaps he is suggesting you will live longer, or you will feel better if you appear strong, charitable, benevolent and generous as you battle cancer? Perhaps he is suggesting you can earn favor before God if you live your life in a way which is pleasing to God? To be quite honest, I am not sure what he is suggesting with his “how you live” comments but the one thing I know for certain is his comments referenced above don’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I am not trying to pick on Stuart Scott as I really did enjoy his broadcasts at ESPN. However, his comments are well documented and easy to quote in a blog post like this one. I seriously doubt that Stuart Scott was trying to mislead people in any way, but his preceding comments go against everything the bible has to say about why Jesus came to earth to be born on Christmas day. In all of my years of ministering to people with cancer, I have observed numerous individuals with terminal cancer who believe you cannot lose to cancer, and what is important is how you live in the days you have left. In other words, these individuals have a belief system which is very similar to what Stuart Scott proclaimed in the preceding quote. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are saying I can do it on my own and I don’t need God. In the last week of his life, I wish I could have talked with Stuart Scott to see if he still thought “you cannot lose to cancer” and if he still felt the “how you live” part was the most important way to determine if you beat cancer or not. I have had the humbling privilege of interacting with numerous cancer patients in the last few weeks before they died. If they did not believe in Christ, I observed how these individuals eventually became overwhelmed with feelings of hopelessness. Most of them did not begin their cancer trial with a hopeless perspective, but, as their cancer trial slowly started to wear them down, as their treatment options slowly started to disappear, and as their day of departure slowly approached, they all started to feel hopeless. Their version of the “it is how you live which matters the most” perspective slowly started to fade. I have no idea what his religious beliefs were, but I certainly hope Stuart Scott was not left feeling hopeless when he passed away on 1/4/15.
If you are facing a serious or terminal cancer diagnosis, do you really believe what Stuart Scott is suggesting: “cancer cannot beat you – you beat cancer by how you live”? In 12 years of ministering to hundreds of people with cancer, I can promise you that most people do not buy this quaint advice. Question: Why don’t people who are battling terminal cancer believe this advice? Answer: They are constantly thinking to themselves as they endure their cancer trial: “death scares me more than anything in this world and what happens to me if I die”? Absent a relationship with Christ, if someone tells you they are not scared of death, they are lying to you. Why? Because death is a punishment from God for sin, God designed all humans to fear death. Yes, we were all designed to fear death so that is why his comments “when you die, it does not mean you lose to cancer” make no sense at all. I have yet to meet a cancer patient who has not thought about “why do I have to die” and “why am I so scared of death”. Again, the bible provides answers to these great questions. As stated in the book of Genesis Chapter 3, death, fear and suffering are all punishments for sin. As a result, people fear death because they fear being punished. If death is a punishment for sin, we are all going to fear death regardless if we are willing to admit to being fearful of it or not. Micah 7:19 tells us:
“He (God) will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You (God) will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
How can we get God to cast all our sins into the depths of the sea? Additionally, if death is a punishment by God for sin, how does Jesus help us get out of being punished by God? Alistair Begg, from truthforlife.org, explains as follows:
“Jesus stands between us and our defeat. Where is the ultimate defeat – in death. When you run your whole life and you get up to the end of it and it comes to a crashing halt. That is why death is so terrifying. When somebody tells me that they are not terrified of death, I frankly do not believe them. The reason death is so terrifying it because it is the punishment for sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life…. The law of God demands perfection. None of us is perfect – therefore we are terrified. Who is there to stand between us and that eventuality? We need somebody to step forward – the answer is Jesus has done so. That his victory is the greatest news the world has ever known. Because, in Jesus, the demands of the law were met by his perfect life. The penalty of the law was dealt with in His death in the place of myself who deserved to die. The Power of death was defeated by his resurrection as he triumphs over it (death).”
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)
A cancer trial is a designed disruption by God to remind the cancer patient of their own mortality and their need to consider what will happen to their soul should they not survive their cancer trial. Stuart Scott said death doesn’t really matter and you can do it on your own as evidenced by how you live. God, on the other hand, says you cannot do it on your own, but you need someone else (Jesus) to stand in your place before a holy God. One of the blessings of a cancer trial it is typically provides you with plenty of time to consider questions about life after death and what will happen to your soul should you succumb to your cancer trial. Because the circumstances of a cancer trial likely humble the cancer patient in ways they have never been humbled before, some cancer patients finally begin to realize, for the first time in their lives, that they need help and they cannot do it on their own. As a result, they become open to the Gospel and many decide to put their faith and trust in Jesus. The world says we should hate cancer, but I have observed more times than I can remember that cancer does some good things. For example, a cancer trial can cause people to move from unbelief to being casual believers to being students of the Scriptures. If they know Christ already, the circumstances of their cancer trial will likely cause them to grow in their relationship with Christ more than they ever have before in their life.
My Colorectal surgeon, Dr. James Church, is a friend of mine and we receive his Christmas letters each year. As a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Church is responsible for extracting cancer tumors from his patient’s colons on a weekly basis, meaning he is constantly exposed to the ferocious and aggressive nature of this deadly disease. Here below is a quote from Dr. Church’s 2019 Christmas letter:
“This is why, in 2019, this will be the best Christmas ever: the blacker the darkness, the brighter the light”
For someone who works diligently to cure people of their cancer disease, Dr. Church’s preceding quote encourages me in so many ways. What exactly is Dr. Church referring to when he says: “the blacker the darkness, the brighter the light”? John 8:12 tells us:
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
What exactly is meant by the light of the world? John 1:4 tells us: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”
Yes, Jesus provides light or life to all who believe in Him. As you can see, the bible uses the terms “light” and “life” somewhat interchangeably. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, do you truly believe that Jesus is the light of the world? Yes, the darker your cancer trial circumstances, the brighter His light can be for you. In other words, do you believe that Jesus provides life to all who believe in Him? No one is excluded except those who exclude themselves.
You might be thinking to yourself that everything stated in this blog post up until now makes perfect sense, but you are still not feeling “joyful”. You believe in Christ, but you are having a hard time rejoicing as cancer was just not in your plans for your life. In fact, you might still be a little angry at God for making you endure an agonizing cancer trial. If you are a Christian who has cancer and if you are struggling with rejoicing in Him during the Christmas season, I would encourage you to think about the forgiveness God offers us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:7 tells us the immeasurable riches of his forgiveness and grace: “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
I remember when I was grounded in High School for getting into a car which I was specifically told not to get into many times by my parents. Mom and Dad felt the driver was a bad apple and, because he was a couple of years older than me, they did not want me hanging around with him. I don’t remember all the details, but I succumbed to peer pressure and I followed my friends into the car that weekend evening. After driving around for a while, we ended up getting pulled over by the police (unmarked car) because the driver was doing something stupid. We were hauled downtown, and my parents had to come and pick me up at police headquarters. I was just sitting in the back of the car of this teenage driver and was not involved in the crime the driver was arrested for. I hadn’t done anything wrong (other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time), but I was grounded for months because I had specifically disobeyed an order from my parents about not getting into the car of the driver they had been warning me about. Eventually, my parents approached me and, after a “never do that again” discussion, they cut down my grounding period significantly. Perhaps I gained their trust again? I am sure there was some reason they felt I had earned a reduced punishment. I was beyond elated when I received a pardon from my parents for part of my grounding period. To a high school boy, nothing is more important than some freedom and the ability to start hanging out with your friends again outside of school. When I received the grounding pardon from my parents, I was joyful, I rejoiced, and I was elated. These emotions are natural responses for being pardoned from a significant punishment. If you are battling cancer this Christmas season, the joy should come from the knowledge that Jesus provides a pardon from sin for all who believe in Him; therefore, you can be joyful and rejoice despite your cancer diagnosis. As referenced in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 quoted earlier, “the sting of sin is death…..But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yes, the pardon (forgiveness) Jesus provides is far greater than any presidential pardon and far greater than the pardon I received. Why? The pardon Jesus provides to all who believe in Him is an outpouring of God’s GRACE, which is often referred to as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”. His grace is unmerited, meaning you cannot earn it because it comes by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Additionally, those individuals who don’t believe in Him shall be cast into eternal darkness. Unbelievers are called “sons of the kingdom” in Matthew 8:12 which says:
“while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
The thought of spending eternity experiencing weeping and gnashing of teeth horrifies me. Once you start gaining a better understanding of the unmerited grace and forgiveness which Jesus provides to all who believe in Him, the only natural response is joy, elation and rejoicing. In other words, you should experience the same type of emotions which I experienced when I was pardoned from a significant grounding period in high school. The difference between the pardon I received, and the pardon which Jesus provides to all who believe in Him is the colossal impact of Jesus’ pardon. More specifically, I earned my pardon in High School by gaining my parent’s trust again whereas Jesus’ pardon is the result of God’s unmerited grace and his free gift to all believers, meaning His pardon is unearned because it comes by faith. Additionally, the pardon I received reduced my grounding period by a few weeks whereas Jesus’ pardon has eternal implications, meaning believers are not cast into darkness forever. Matthew 24:35 tell us: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”. Yes, the world as we know it, including everything in it, will eventually end but Jesus’ promise of eternal life is a forever gift and an eternal promise. In fact, His promise of eternal life to all who believe is the only gift which a human can receive which will live on in eternity, which is why it supersedes any other gift or accomplishment which a person may obtain in this world. Ephesians 2:7, which states His grace is immeasurable, corroborates the colossal impact of His pardon. Once you start to gain a better understanding of the immeasurable and enormous nature of His free gift offering and how it is far better than any other gift you could ever receive on Christmas day, you should be praising God, with all your might this Christmas season, for His mercy and grace. Since His gift is an eternal gift and since we are all going to die eventually anyway, the circumstances of cancer should not impact your ability to praise God for sending His son into the world to save sinners from their bondage to sin and to Satan. If you are struggling with being joyful this Christmas season, I would encourage you to pray about it and to spend some time reading God’s word so you can learn more about the victory which is available through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of you might be thinking, gosh, it is Christmas Jim, and you are talking about death and life after death. If you are thinking along these lines, perhaps your family has never been touched by cancer or perhaps you don’t pay much attention to the reasons why people around you have passed away and you can’t think of anyone who passed away from cancer? Not counting our special events, we have between 50 to 100 people who attend our cancer support group over a six-month period. In the last one to two weeks, the following has occurred to members of our group:
A husband, who has battled cancer, and a wife have lost their son at the age of 49. The son had cancer twice and ended up passing away from a cardiothoracic issue. Only God knows what caused his death, but it seems reasonable to assume that all his cancer treatments likely weakened other parts of his body. His parents talked to him about the good news of the Gospel many times, but he never openly responded to the invitation. They have another son, who is currently in a nursing home, who has terminal brain cancer. Even though their household has been attacked by cancer, they are still rejoicing in Christ their savior.
A wife, who has battled cancer, and a husband just found out that their son has been diagnosed with cancer and it is a very aggressive form of cancer. Thankfully, the son is a believer. However, when the husband and wife finally met their son’s surgeon, he told them their son is dying. Again, they just found out about his cancer this week. The Son has a wife and three kids under the age of 7.
A wife, who has cancer, and a husband, have attended our group for years. The wife was sent to hospice a few weeks ago and the husband texted me this week that she has stopped eating and “it is not good”. Thankfully she is a believer and is looking forward to meeting her Savior. I Received a text a few days later that she is doing better and hopeful to be back in rehab by Christmas.
Yes, that is one death story, one near end of life hospice story and one new cancer diagnosis story. For a group of our size, that is a lot of major cancer events in a relatively short amount of time. Additionally, a guy who worked at my golf course, passed away this week from cancer. He obviously hid it well as I did not even know he was sick. The primary reason I listed all the preceding cancer stories is to reinforce out how important it is for you to believe in your heart that Jesus is the light of the world. A secondary reason I listed the preceding cancer stories is to point out that cancer is everywhere, and it touches young and old alike. If cancer hasn’t touched your family yet, it likely will at some point.
One thing is for certain....Jesus is either the light of the world or Christianity is the biggest and longest lasting lie to ever hit this world. His Gospel message is either 100% true or it is 100% false but there is no in-between position to be taken. God's word indicates Jesus is absolute truth (John 17:17), meaning he cannot contradict himself. Additionally, since everything He said (as recorded in the bible) was true, we cannot pick and choose what we want to believe in the bible and what we don't want to believe. It is very simple - you can either believe He is the light of this world or he isn't and the decision is yours to make.
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who can provide you with the assurance of eternal victory over your cancer trial should you end up succumbing to your cancer disease. Celebrating Christmas reminds us that God’s gift of his son, Jesus Christ, is the most powerful act of love the world will ever know. If you are battling cancer this Christmas season, do you have the joy in your heart that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus, who promises all who believe in Him that His kingdom will never end? On the cover page of this blog post, the picture of the one gift under the christmas tree is meant to symbolize that Jesus is the only gift that really matters if you end up passing away from your cancer trial. If you do have His hope in your heart, celebrating Christmas 2019 should cause you to be jubilant as you rejoice in Christ your savior. Yes, His life giving hope is THE REASON why God sent His son to be born on Christmas Day and Jesus is THE REASON why someone battling cancer can find joy in the Christmas season.
“…And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
Jim Risk, a two-time cancer survivor, is the volunteer Ministry Coordinator for the Cancer Support Group (CSG) at a non-denominational church in NE Ohio. Jim and his wife, Kristina, have participated and served in CSG, a Christian ministry, since 2007.