Happy Day after Christmas

December 26,2020

Happy day after Christmas, or Boxing Day as it is also known.

The day you waited for, planned for and prepared for has come and gone. Presents have been opened, a meal shared, candles lit, and carols sung. Or maybe this year, it was a quiet, lonely Christmas in which you could only see those you loved on a screen, in their own homes. No hugs, no kisses. Or maybe it’s a day you spend on your own every year, cringing at all the ads and all the hype. Christmas as we know it in the US can be a mixed bag of joy and blessing, sadness and loneliness, high expectations and let downs.

But the true reason we celebrate Christmas, is always the same: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, the Messiah was born as a baby. He came into the world the same way as you and I did. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, but born as you and I were, carried by Mary for nine months and birthed with pain. Stop and think about that for a moment. No, really stop…don’t be in a hurry to move on from that truth. Our Savior, humbled Himself to be born with blood and water, to be baptized with water, and to die with blood and water. Yesterday, we celebrated the greatest gift of all, the gift of our Savior.

Today, all the fuss of Christmas Day is over; today, the wrapping papers and boxes are in the trash; today, we are already starting to think about returning the gifts we don’t want, or maybe we have already done that.

Jesus Christ is our perfect gift. He is as new today as He was 2000 years ago; He does not grow old, fade or wear out; He truly is the gift that keeps on giving. He was born once, and for all. Hebrews 9 tells us that He came and died “once for all” to take away the sins of the world. He did what no other gift could do; He gave us life, once and for all. He did what no other sacrifice could do; He cleansed us from all sin, once and for all. Other sacrifices before Him were burned, entirely consumed by the flame. This sacrifice is alive today; this gift from God did not get all used up, frayed and burned around the edges, or run out of battery power. This gift is as fresh, real and beautiful today as it was 2000 years ago.

John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word, that He is the Life, and that He is the Light. John 1:5 tells us that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it”. No matter what happens in your world, how dark it might feel, it cannot dispel, overcome, or conquer the Light that you have through Jesus Christ. His light shines forever, His light never flickers or goes out. Oil does not have to be found or purchased to keep this Light burning. It shines forever because Jesus Christ IS light: He doesn’t just HAVE light, He IS light. There is a day coming when no other light is needed. Revelation 21:23 says “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its light”. That is the Light that you have in you today.

Hebrews 10:12 tells us that when He had given Himself as the once and for all sacrifice, He sat down at the right hand of God. Today, He is alive. That gift that was born 2000 years ago in a manger, heralded by angels, worshipped by shepherds and wise men alike, is alive today, seated at the right hand of God. He is still our Life and our Light.

Today, accept the gift from God; come and sit at His feet. Today, take the time to know the eternal Light. Today, take the time to join with the angels and say “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men”. Today, let that peace available for all, first be the peace in your own life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this first blog. May you know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, may His light shine brightly in your life, and may the peace of God rule in your heart and mind.