After Christmas

After Christmas

Introduction

Today is the day after Christmas. Many of us are tired. It has been a long week of celebration, food, fun, family, and gift exchanges. We have watched our favorite Christmas movies, attended worship services focused on Christmas, been to plays and concerts, and... There have also been difficult moments as we have missed loved ones who have departed or thought about those who are sick. Others have faced sickness during this time. Christmas has come and it's almost gone. Oh, we still have a play to do and our decorations are still up and we hope that the spirit of Christmas will linger, but what do we do after Christmas?

One writer suggested these "Top Ten Things to Do the Day After Christmas" (https://cuchimes.com/12/2018/day-after-christmas/):

1. Sleep In (I'm glad you chose to make it to church this morning ;-)

2. Isolate Yourself from Family ( For introverts, this is an important one after all the emotional energy they have expended over the past week)

3. Clean Up Clutter (Can I get an "Amen!")

4. Spend Some Quality Time With Your Gifts

5. Plan A Mall Trip. Tiara Rea-Palmer, head of retail relations for Couponfollow.com said: “The single best day to shop after Christmas is December 26, hands down. There will be huge sales on Christmas trees, decor, holiday gifts, and lights, but you can also score some post-Christmas discounts on items not related to the holidays.” (see https://www.themoneymanual.com/what-is-the-best-shopping-day-after-christmas/)

6. Eat Leftovers (YES!)

7. Take a Nap (Preferably 3 Hours)

8. Scroll Through Social Media

9. Get Some New Years Plans Together

10. Begin the 364 Day Wait till Next Christmas

Christmas is that season on the Christian calendar when we remember what C. S. Lewis called “the central event in the history of the Earth.” This greatest of all miracles — the incarnation witnessed the one who is immortal taking on human flesh and embracing mortality. In a paradox for the ages; we celebrate His birth, but not His beginning. Lewis noted that “every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.” (https://www.standardspeaker.com/the-christmas-pause/article_02d67af8-6eed-5279-84d0-0653489b9420.html)

Galatians 4:1-7 NKJV reads:

1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

In this text, the apostle Paul is speaking of life before and after the coming of Christ, Christmas. He tells us what we are because of Christmas and how we ought to behave After Christmas.

When we read the two accounts of the Nativity they also have insights into what we should do After Christmas.

The Coming of Christ:

Paul speaks of those before the coming of Christ as being like infants who had to be kept in check by the law of Moses.

He concludes that we were in "bondage to the elements of the world" as all of humanity was.

But God had a plan to break into human history at just the right time, and He did. The Son of God came into the world, born of a woman, and subject to the law.

He came to redeem those who were under the law, a law that could only keep humanity in the place of slaves.

He came to be a Son, in order that we could also be adopted into that sonship.

The evidence of that sonship is the Gift of the SPIRIT!

Because Christ has come we are now full heirs together with Him!

Christmas means we are no longer in bondage to the law or sin! We are free! And all of Heaven's resources are now ours. We can live a life that breaks the cycle of generations of sin, sickness, and addiction!

Because of the coming Christ, you do not have to be bound by sin! His Gracious Gift is enough to set you completely free and give you a permanent spot at the table of the King as a son!

We share the collective identity of JESUS CHRIST! We are baptized into Him and filled with His SPIRIT!

Christmas is something to get excited about! He came to go to the cross via the manger!