Let Down | Putting Christmas Away

Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. (Luke 2:19-20 CEB)

Christmas is over. The presents have been opened. The special meal has been eaten. The family time has been enjoyed (or endured, depending on your family). And now what?

For a lot of us, the day after Christmas feels a little empty. All that anticipation, all that preparation, all that excitement...and now it's done. We start taking down decorations. We put away the special dishes. We begin thinking about getting back to our normal routines.

And if we're not careful, we pack Jesus away with the decorations. We treat him like something special for the Christmas season but not really relevant to the rest of our lives.

But look at what happened after that first Christmas. Mary didn't just move on to the next thing. She committed these things to memory. She considered them carefully. She held onto what had happened and pondered its meaning. And the shepherds didn't just go back to their fields and forget about everything they'd seen and heard. They went home glorifying and praising God. They couldn't stop talking about what they'd experienced.

That's what should happen to us too. Christmas shouldn't end on December 25th. The truth we celebrate at Christmas, that God is with us, that Jesus has come, should shape how we live every single day of the year.

But that only happens if we accept Jesus for who he actually is instead of who we want him to be. If we keep demanding that Jesus fit our expectations, we'll be disappointed. We'll pack him away with the Christmas decorations and get back to our regular lives.

But if we accept Jesus as he actually is – humble, serving, loving, challenging, transforming – then everything changes. We can't just put him away. We can't just move on to the next thing. We have to figure out what it means to follow him, not just celebrate him.

And that's harder than celebrating Christmas. It's harder to follow a Jesus who calls us to humility than to celebrate a Jesus who was born in a stable. It's harder to follow a Jesus who commands us to love our enemies than to celebrate a Jesus who came for all people. It's harder to follow a Jesus who tells us to take up our cross than to celebrate a Jesus who was born as a baby.

But it's also more rewarding. Because following Jesus, not just nodding to him once a year, is what we were created for. So don't pack Jesus away with the Christmas decorations. Don't treat him like something special for the season but not really relevant to your everyday life.

Instead, be like Mary. Commit these things to memory. Consider them carefully. Keep pondering what it means that God became human, that Jesus was born for you, that Emmanuel means God is with us. And be like the shepherds. Don't keep this good news to yourself. Tell people what you've seen and heard. Glorify and praise God for what he's done. Let your life be changed by the reality of Christmas.

Because Jesus is exactly what you need. Not just at Christmas, but every single day. He's not what you expected, but he's so much better than anything you could have imagined.

Closing Prayer:

Jesus, help us not to pack you away with the Christmas decorations. Help us to carry the truth of Christmas with us into every day of the year. You are exactly what we need – not just at Christmas, but always. Teach us to follow you, not just celebrate you. Transform our lives. Make us more like you. We receive you as you are, and we commit ourselves to following you wherever you lead. Amen.