Days after christmas, are we still talking about the God who became a baby to save the world from all its chaos and sins?

Passage

^{Luke 2: 17} After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Ponder

Deafening silence. Laughter and singing gone. Dishes to clean up. Wrappers and trash scattered like confetti on the floor. Empty hallways and tattered decorations. I know your Christmas went well, but how were the days after that?

All of a sudden, our playlist reverts back to non-Christmas songs. Anything about the birth of Jesus or the coming of a Savior becomes obsolete. We go back to our daily routines, to-do list, and dreams to accomplish. As we box in the Christmas tree and all the balls and lights on it, we also put inside the storage the Christmas story that brings tidings of comfort and joy. Days after Christmas, we stop singing about the gift of Jesus, we stop telling about the story of his nativity. Well, like our good old reusable pine tree, the gospel can wait for next year’s Advent season, can’t it? Days after Christmas, we lost the wonder.

May we learn from the shepherds who first experienced Christmas. They were summoned by God’s angel to witness the birth of a Savior, the one who will change the game of history. Amazed by the invitation, they immediately went and lo and behold! Right before their eyes, the mystery of God becoming a baby, the King of kings lying in a manger with swaddling clothes, the all-powerful Creator now a vulnerable human flesh.

And what did they do after seeing the first Christmas? They splashed off to their homes and spread the story of God’s arrival as a Carpenter’s baby; they become storytellers of the gospel and worshipers of the One True Lord, even days after Christmas. In fact, Christmas only added the volume of their praise and intensified their narrative of grace.

My only hope is that, may we never lose the wonder of Christmas. May we carry God’s love in our hearts every single day of our lives, celebrating what we heard and seen the LORD do with boisterous singing. And until the whole world hears, we will not stop telling.

Prayer

Dear God, help me to not lose the wonder and awe of Christmas. May I remain amazed of how you traveled from Eternity to the earth to bring heaven to where I am, a world full of pain and chaos. May the story of your love coming down on me be at the forefront of my tongue, even on days far from Christmas time.

Practice

Take time to share the gospel, the story of God coming to earth to serve sinners like you and me, to anybody you meet. This way, you are making Christmas alive in someone’s heart even when it’s not December.

Phrases

“I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.”

Norman Vincent Peale