Letdowns and Leftovers?
The day after Christmas is seen as a letdown for some. All of the preparations come to a climax on Christmas Day. The rush and adrenaline of hurrying and scurrying to buy gifts, decorate, and make special holiday foods comes to a halt. The cheerful voices of family members fade away as they return home, and suddenly, we are supposed to return to life as usual. It can be an abrupt change for some. As they reheat leftover holiday dishes, they sigh as they recall the laughter and joy of the day before.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11 (KJV) emphasis mine
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 (KJV) emphasis mine
Joy itself comes from the Lord. Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Salvation has come to us through Jesus Christ. His birth was just the beginning. Therefore, we are to be joyful at all times. While it is true that holidays are for celebrating and remembering what has been done, we must not lose sight of the tremendous gift that is in each and every day.
The birth of Jesus marked the beginning of His life on earth. Although His incarnation was miraculous, and salvation wouldn’t be possible if He had never been born, His greatest impact was accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. We tend to put so much emphasis on celebrating His birth that the rest of His life and the rest of the year seem to pale in comparison.
If we choose to view every event of Jesus’ ministry, every teaching, and every miracle, as the supernatural things that they were, we’d have a different perspective. The birth of Jesus would still be special to us, but all the other things He did would be equally special. We would see the miracle of turning water to wine as the amazing announcement that God is in the business of filling empty vessels with His Spirit. We would be amazed at the teachings of the Beatitudes as we remember that they are words of life coming from the very mouth of God. We’d view every healing He performed as a supernatural pattern for the amazing things we can expect in our own lives.
The warmth and awe we feel at Christmas really can be experienced year-round if we fix our eyes upon Jesus. If we consider that His life went beyond His birth, we can experience the wonder of Christ all the time. The tidings of great joy that were given for all people can be felt everyday as we choose to rejoice always in Jesus Christ.
