"Is Christmas Really Over?"

Is Christmas Really Over?

Theme: The REAL Christmas is never over.

Object: A trash bag filled with used wrapping paper and empty boxes

Question: So tell me what you got for Christmas. One present that you really liked.

Today is the second Sunday after Christmas. It has been hardly more than a week since we were celebrating, opening gifts, and eating a huge Christmas dinner. What is left of the Christmas celebration? A trash bag full of used wrapping paper and empty boxes. The Christmas tree and all the decorations have been taken down and stored in the attic for another year. Christmas is over and our lives have returned to normal. Now we have the New Year in front of us. It is back to work for the adults and back to school for the children. Yes, Christmas is over.

Wait! Is it really over? Is that all there is to Christmas? Is it just a time for parties, giving gifts to friends and family, and a brief period of "Peace on earth, good will toward men?" Surely there is more to it than that.

Listen to this verse. The Bible says that, "The Word became flesh and came to live among us." The "Word" that the Bible is talking about is Jesus.

Jesus came to the world, but many did not recognize him. For those who do not know the Savior, Christmas is over. But for those of us who received the gift of the Father, Christmas is really all year long. As a senior adult friend of mine used to say. When I was a kid Christmas took a long time to get here…now it seems like it is every other day.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love and for the gift of your Son, for it is through that gift that we also become your children. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.