After Christmas
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I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
It’s 6:00am on the morning after Christmas in my home right now and everything is quiet. The Christmas tree lights are on and there are remnants of Christmas day activities beneath it. Unwrapped toys and books for an almost 2-year-old granddaughter are laying quietly under the tree and a Cozy Coupe is waiting patiently for her to wake up and come play. As I look over our Christmas tree, there are dozens of memories attached to each ornament. I can still see my husband and I holding our own little boys up so they could reach a specific branch on the tree and hang one of those ornaments on it. I can still sense the child-like anticipation of Christmas morning through those sweet memories.
In Luke chapter 2 when an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the night, they were terrified (I mean, put yourself in their sandals for a minute). However, even in their moment of fear, they listened to this angel tell them to not be afraid and that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem. After the angel left them, they decided to go all the way to Bethlehem to see Him. They believed and they went. Later, after seeing Jesus in the manger, Luke 2:20 states “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” The joy they had experienced could not be contained.
How I would have loved to have access to a first-hand, written account of the shepherds’ after-Christmas story. Who did they tell first? Was it their family? Did they just stop anyone and everyone they ran into? Did they encounter Jesus as an adult? Did they love him?
What does your after-Christmas look like, when the tree and decorations are neatly tucked away, and the Christmas cookies are gone? Are you still actively walking with the Lord? Are you telling people about the Good News of great joy and the promise of eternal hope He gives?
In this moment of reflection, while I am thankful for those Christmas morning memories, I am beyond grateful for all of the days following Christmas. My prayer over you is that you know how deeply you are loved by Jesus. That you trust him and are rooted in him. And that you know without a shadow of a doubt, “how wide and long and high and deep is this love that surpasses knowledge.”
Many blessings over each of your days after Christmas.