~ ‘Twas The Day After Christmas ~
It was an exciting time. An angel had appeared to a young Jewish maiden named Mary and told her she would have a Child. The fact that she had never had sexual relations would not be a factor in this miraculous birth. The same angel appeared to Joseph to let him know his betrothed had not been unfaithful. After the silence of the night was shattered with an angelic announcement of the birth of our Savior, the shepherd’s ran to see this Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Wise men who had followed a star brought gifts fit for a King. Simeon and Anna declared this Baby to be the Messiah. An evil king was so fearful of this Child that he tried to kill Him. It prompted an emergency journey to Egypt. The world had never seen anything like this.
What happened next when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus arrived in Egypt? They settled into living life one day at a time. Other than the Bible telling us of their return trip to Nazareth, twelve years would pass before we learn anything else about this family. After Jesus’s encounter with the priests in the temple, another eighteen years would pass before Jesus stepped out of the shadows and changed the world. So, what happened for the vast majority of these thirty years? As far as we know, Joseph died. Mary is most likely still pondering all these things in her heart, and the boy, Jesus, is growing into a man. Luke 2:52 does add these intriguing words, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
But the question I found myself pondering in the early morning hours always brought me back to the same place. For the most part, those thirty years were spent simply living life. A Boy playing with his friends as they ran barefoot all over Nazareth. A Boy working with His father in the carpenter’s shop. Joseph and Mary have more children. Joseph provides for them, and Mary cares for everything in the home. There were funerals, there were births, there were celebrations, and there were times of mourning. It was life just like we live today.
Today is the day after Christmas. The hecticness of the past few days is settling down, just a little, anyway. So, what happens next? Life: life happens. We will get up in the morning and do whatever life requires of us at whatever stage of life we may be in. Some feel that life is mundane and boring, but it is life, and life is precious. Christmas often becomes about gifts, but life itself is a gift. According to John 10:10, Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus wants to give life, abundant life.
Life in the natural is greatly influenced by how we view life. I know people who are negative about everything, and I’m sure you do as well. They see nothing good, only the bad. What a sad way to live life. They seemly fail to understand that the world is watching and listening. And for many, we will be the only Bible they will read and the only Jesus they know.
In a few days, many will make resolutions about what they want to do differently and better as we step into 2024. For myself, and each of you, I pray that we will be more like Jesus.
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