Let Down | Moving On

When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (It's written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.") They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what's stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. (Luke 2:22-24 CEB)

It's been four days since Christmas. And if you're like most people, you've already started getting back to normal. Some of the decorations have come down. The wrapping paper is in the trash. The leftovers are almost gone. And mentally, you're already moving on to the next thing.

Maybe you're thinking about New Year's resolutions. Maybe you're preparing to go back to work. Maybe you're just ready for life to settle back into its regular rhythm after all the chaos of the holidays.

There's nothing wrong with any of that. Life does have to go on. We can't stay in Christmas mode forever. We have jobs to do, responsibilities to fulfill, and routines to maintain.

But here's what we need to be careful about: in our rush to get back to normal, we can't forget what just happened. We can't pack away the truth of Christmas along with the decorations. We can't treat December 25th like just another day on the calendar that we check off and move past.

That's what Mary and Joseph could have done. Look at how Luke describes this scene. They came to Jerusalem "when the time came for their ritual cleansing." They were there to fulfill a legal requirement. They were checking a box, completing a task. They brought the sacrifice that the law prescribed – two turtledoves or two young pigeons, which was the offering required for people who couldn't afford a lamb.

In other words, this was routine. This was just something they had to do. And when it was over, they could go home and get back to their regular lives.

But that's not what happened. Because while they were there, they ran into two people who understood that this wasn't routine at all. This wasn't just another task to check off the list. This was the most significant moment in human history.

We'll talk more about Simeon and Anna in the coming days. But for now, I just want us to recognize the temptation that Mary and Joseph faced – the same temptation we face every year after Christmas. The temptation to move on. To get back to normal. To treat what just happened as if it was no big deal.

Because here's the truth: what we celebrated on Christmas Day isn't routine. It isn't ordinary. It isn't just another religious holiday that we observe and then forget about.

Christmas is about the fact that God became human. That the Creator of the universe took on flesh and entered our world. That God loves us so much that he was willing to become one of us so that he could save us.

That truth is too important to rush past. It's too significant to pack away until next December. It's too powerful to forget about as we get back to our normal routines.

So before we completely move on from Christmas, before we let it become just another memory from last week, we need to slow down. We need to stop. We need to do what Simeon and Anna did, and recognize who Jesus is and what his coming means, and let that reality sink in.

Because if we don't, we'll end up feeling let down again next Christmas. We'll wonder why Christmas didn't feel as magical or meaningful as we hoped it would. And we'll miss the fact that the problem isn't with Christmas, it's with us and our inability to slow down long enough to really appreciate what we've been given.

Closing Prayer:

God, forgive us for being so quick to move on from Christmas. Help us to slow down. Help us to recognize that what we celebrated isn't routine or ordinary but the most significant truth in all of human history. Don't let us pack away the meaning of Christmas as we get back to our regular lives. Keep this truth alive in our hearts. Amen.