The Day After Christmas
Luke 2:16-20
Some of our neighbors are already taking down their Christmas decorations. Soon their trees no longer glow at night with twinkling lights. It’s the day after Christmas.
Stores have special tables set up for disappointed customers to return gifts that didn’t work or weren’t quite what they wanted. It’s the day after Christmas.
Children are whining and complaining, no longer behaving as if some old elf were recording their behavior. It’s the day after Christmas.
Now that it’s the day after Christmas, what should we do, we who understand that Christmas is not about gifts or sumptuous feasts?
NOW THAT IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT’S OKAY TO LET GOD SLOW THE PACE.
In some ways, Mary is a model for this. It had been a strange nine months, now there would be a couple relatively quiet years followed by an extended stay in Egypt. Then there would be some even quieter years.
As hard as we might try to avoid the trap, it’s easy to get caught in the frenzy surrounding Christmas. There’s one more gift to buy, one more trip to take to the market for that ingredient needed for the indispensible dish that no Christmas would be complete without. Christmas can exhaust the best of us.
Now, that it’s past we can welcome the slower pace, the opportunity to reflect on the blessings of the past year and consider the opportunities of the year to come.
We need balance in our lives, such moderation is important for us because…
NOW THAT IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, THERE MAY BE A BURST OF REALITY.
For some of us it may be a return to the routine, to simpler meals, to peace and quiet. For others of us it may mean a return to a big lonely house. We may have to be content with hugs and kisses sent by telephone or skyped via the internet rather than given in person.
For Mary and Joseph the passing of Christmas brought diapers, feedings, and the whispers of neighbors.
It was important for them to stand by each other, to trust each other and to remember that…
EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT IS NO TIME TO STOP TRUSTING GOD.
Mary understood that it is important to reflect on what God has done in the past so you may look to the challenges of tomorrow. That backward look is so important to faith—we may look backward into our experiences of God’s faithfulness or back into the Biblical record of God’s faithfulness to his people.
What God had told Mary was true even when they were fleeing for safety to Egypt. He had told her that her Son would change the world. V. Raymond Edman, longtime president and chancellor of Wheaton College, once reminded the students: “Do not doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.”
So…
EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT EVEN WHEN THERE ARE NO BRIGHT STARS OR ANGELIC CHOIRS IN THE SKY GOD IS STILL AT WORK.
The record of God’s dealings with his people includes stories of pathways through seas and tumbling walls, but, as often as not, God works quietly behind the scenes to accomplish his purpose.
For all the excitement of that first Christmas, only a few people knew the story and, after a few years, some of them probably forgot or maybe even wondered if they had dreamed it all. Some may have simply lost their patience with God. Of course, those who never heard the angels’ song or the shepherds’ testimony may have wondered if God was up to anything at all. But he was, whether they knew it or not, he was.
Back in the 1930s, historians were already talking about the demise of the church. But God was still at work. Today, Christianity is the fastest growing faith in the global south and, despite the pressure of extremism; it is growing in the Middle East. Some reports suggest there are more Christians in China today than there have ever been before even in the heyday of the missionary movement. God’s been at work.
This is why it’s also important to keep in mind that
EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT IS NO TIME TO START TRYING TO IMPROVE ON GOD’S PLANS.
Mary may not have liked the direction things seemed to be going. The words of Simeon must have been disturbing. Joseph and Mary had taken the infant to the temple for the rite of circumcision; while there an elderly bystander approached and offered a blessing for the child. Then he said something else.
The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
Later on, during the public ministry of Jesus, Mary and the rest of the family tried to stop him—perhaps because she feared the consequences of his antagonizing the religious authorities.
God didn’t have his Son born in a manger then say, “Okay, you folks take it from here.” He still knows best how to accomplish his purposes.
You see…
EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT IS NO TIME TO RETURN TO OLD WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT GOD.
Earlier in the story the angel Gabriel had to remind Mary that there is nothing impossible with God. It might have been easy to forget that, to think that God was limited by the circumstances that limit us. Then, too, Mary could have easily begun to imagine just how her son would accomplish his mission—the mission she had sung about. Whatever she planned, it probably didn’t include a cross.
Mary had learned a lot in nine short months, but she still had to learn that
EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, IT IS STILL A LONG TIME BEFORE EASTER.
The road from the manger to the empty tomb would be a long one—for Jesus and for Mary.
For both of them it would be a time of growth. For both of them it would be a time of testing for their commitment. That Mary may have wavered shouldn’t surprise us. Did you know that some studies suggest that nine out of ten men who begin preaching before the age of 21 will leave the ministry before 60? Commitment is hard to sustain.
Despite her doubts and her questions both Mary and Jesus were at Calvary. He to die for the world; she, to offer what love and comfort she could.
Then came Easter morning. Her wounded heart was mended.
The road between your first joyous encounter with Christ may be hard but you can look forward to a final victory at Easter.
With that in mind, we have one final lesson to learn—one taught by the shepherds. Those rugged, smelly men remind us that…
EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, THERE ARE STILL OPPORTUNITIES TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS.
One of the most remarkable things you’ll see on Christmas Day is the staff of QVC, the big shopping channel, sharing Christmas stories and songs with us. They read the stories of Christ’s birth and sang some of the great carols. Of course, once Christmas is past, they go back to selling us jewelry, coats, and gadgets.
When you return to your “sheep,” I hope you will be sure to look for appropriate opportunities to talk about Jesus. This is no time to be silent about him, even though it’s the day after Christmas.
