The real work begins December 26
yes, virginia, there is life after christmas
I thought I had seen mass hysteria before: the time "Weird Willy"
Smith set off a can of tear gas in the high school cafeteria. Or the practical
joker who yelled "Shark!" at the beach causing me and my rubber
raft to be flattened by half-crazed swimmers.
But these pale
in comparison to entering a department store the day after Christmas! As
I approached the automotive section, I stepped into the main aisle to see
what looked like the entire cast from Ben Hur stampeding my way.
Leading the pack
charged a six-foot brute with a Marine tattoo strangling a pastel neck
tie. He was followed by a crowd of probably quite normal people who, in
the passion of the moment, had turned into a murderous mob storming the
exchange and complaint windows.
The season of
peace on earth, goodwill toward men was over for another year--carefully
packed away with the strings of lights and artificial trees.
Nearly two thousand
years ago, the peace and joy came after Christmas.
God's people
had yearned for their Messiah since He had promised Eve there would come
a conqueror over sin. The angels had announced this precious Gift's arrival.
The waiting was over. The real work of Christmas could begin--work which
we can continue today.
Proclamation
It would have
been easy for the shepherds to merely muse about their evening with eternity.
An angel of the Lord had stood before them. The glory of God had shone
over these men on a dark, sheep-dotted hillside. Multitudes of angels joined
in announcing "peace on earth." Then the shepherd's weathered
faces had looked into the tiny, helpless eyes of Almighty God.
But this was
just the beginning. After the excitement of Christmas, the shepherds spread
the Word about this child and glorified and praised God for all the things
they had heard and seen.
Christmas is
a year-round opportunity for proclaiming, for "glorifying and praising
God" for all we have heard and seen.
Consolation
Simeon, a righteous
and devout man who lived in Jerusalem, had been waiting for Christmas--with
a much deeper longing that any child anticipating a stack of packages under
the tree. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die
until he saw the Messiah. And so, moved by the Spirit, he entered into
the temple courts as Mary and Joseph brought their first born son there
for consecration.
Simeon came face
to face with "the consolation of Israel." Taking the child in
his arms, he praised God and said, "Sovereign Lord, as you promised,
now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all the people."
This peace continues
after the advent candles are burned to stubs and the last needle falls
from the tree. Christmas is a year-round opportunity to experience the
Prince of Peace and to share that consolation with others.
Adoration
The word Christmas
originally meant "Christ's Mass"--a time of worship and adoration
of the Messiah. Today, unfortunately the masses of people pay more
attention to holiday shopping and feasting than to Christ. The magi
from the East, however, were wise in their priorities. Before they revealed
their holiday treasures, they gave their gifts to Jesus and ". . .
bowed down and worshiped him." Well after the uneaten fruitcakes have
fossilized, worship of the living Christ must continue if Christmas is
to remain fresh in our hearts.
Meditation
Perhaps meditation
is the key to Christmas. The days before Christ's birth had been a hectic
time for Mary and Joseph: dealing with the rumors and suspicions of Mary's
pregnancy, traveling to Bethlehem amidst the tail to tail census traffic,
and now the responsibilities of caring for a newborn. But Mary still meditated
on the Lord.
Without meditating
on the salvation of God and His faithfulness, there can be no proclamation,
consolation, or adoration.
Christmas, then,
is a year-round opportunity for meditating on all these things and pondering
them in our hearts--long after the warranties on our gifts have expired.
Copyright
© 1988 James N. Watkins
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