Monday, Dec. 30
Luke 2:15-20
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Well, Christmas has come and gone.
After all the preparations, which for most of us started the day after Thanksgiving, and after a month of decorating, buying, wrapping, cooking, baking, eating, traveling, singing, and celebrating, the time has come to pack up Christmas for another year.
How many of you have already packed away Christmas?
A couple of years ago we were visiting my wife’s sister’s family in Tennessee and I was with my brother-in-law Jeff when he stopped by to say hello to a friend one day.
It was a very large home and as we parked in the driveway Jeff’s friend was working in the garage. We got out and after the two of them had chatted a bit Jeff said, “Hey, show Brian where you keep your Christmas tree.” I thought that was a little weird because it was August. But the guy walked over to part of his enormous garage and opened a door that looked like a giant closet door. Behind the door was a fully decorated 10 foot Christmas tree on rollers.
The guy had a closet for his Christmas tree.
When time came to put up the tree he just rolled it out and into the house; done! Then when Christmas was over he just rolled it back into the Christmas tree closet; done, just like that!
Most of us don’t have that particular luxury!
Most of us have to pack up Christmas piece by piece, box by box, and then drag it all back into the attic or basement or wherever we keep our Christmas stuff.
We pack up all the garbage created on Christmas Day; the discarded wrapping paper, the packaging, the ribbons and bows (at least the ones that can’t be re-used next year), and all of it goes in bins and bags and out to the curb.
We pack up the tree.
First you have to take all the ornaments off the tree and carefully wrap them up or pack them in their respective boxes and containers. Then you remove the strands of tree lights (unless you happen to have an artificial tree with built-in lights).
Then you have to take the tree down. In our case we have an artificial tree that has three sections. We pull it apart and drag it back into the basement piece by piece and shove it into a box where it stays until next year.
We pack up the outside lights; at least some of us do. If it’s warm enough I will take down the lights; but if it’s too cold I leave them up till Spring Break.
And then, finally, we pack up the Christmas decorations that are all over the house.
We pack up the advent Calendar; we pack up the poinsettias; we pack away the strands of garland over the fireplace, and we pack up the strange-looking St. Nicholas figure that sits in our bathroom.
We pack away our creches; the 4 or 5 “manger scenes” we have collected from different parts of the world that are displayed in different parts of our home throughout the Christmas season.
We pack away the animals; we pack away the shepherds and the Magi; we pack away Mary and Joseph.
And, finally, we pack away the manger and the Baby Jesus.
Which, of course, raises a question.
What do we do with Jesus?
Do we pack him away like the rest of the Christmas decorations? Is he just a tiny carved figure that we drag out of storage for about a month every year? Is he just part of a cultural holiday that gives us an opportunity for a few days away from school and work; that provides us an opportunity to gather with family and friends for fun, laughter and lots of cookies? Is he a cute and cuddly Bible story that we celebrate once a year with traditional candles and carols?
Or is Jesus something more than that?
The Apostle John suggests Jesus is more than that when he writes:
The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14
Jesus didn’t come into this world to dwell in a box of decorations for 11 months each year. Jesus came to dwell with us! He came to live with us and in us 24/7/365.
Jesus came to dwell with you in your mornings, in your commute to work, and throughout the day when you scarcely have time to think of him.
Jesus came to dwell with you in your quiet moments of reflection, in your moments of stress or pain, and when life is full and blessed.
Jesus came to make his home in your heart, not in your attic! Will you invite him to do so?
Pastor Brian Coffey
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