May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:13
Christmas
has come and gone, and before long all traces of its presence will have
disappeared. The cookies will be eaten or thrown away. The gifts will find
permanent homes in toy chests and on bookshelves. Even the lights, wreaths, and
decorations that you spent days setting up after Thanksgiving will be shoved
back in their corner of the attic until next year. Before long, there will be
no sign of Christmas anywhere.
But
even as the radio stations put their Bing Crosby records back in storage and
your neighbors do the same with their outdoor nativity scene, there is no
reason to abandon Christmas completely. After all, it’s at Christmas that we
recognize that hope and joy are potent enough forces to hold fear at bay. It’s
at Christmas that we allow ourselves to believe in peace on earth and practice good
will toward men. It’s at Christmas that we are filled with a spirit of
generosity, kindness, and love for those around us, even perfect strangers.
Most
of all, it’s at Christmas that we remember what the birth of Christ showed us
once and for all: God is with us. No matter how lonely we feel, no matter what
trials we face, the sending of Immanuel resounds every year and prompts us to
move from worry to praise.
So
let me encourage you, even as your red and green outfits are packed away, to
keep celebrating Christmas in 2020. Hope, peace, joy, and love are too
important to reserve for one month per year. May Christmas be more than a
holiday for you—may it be your witness.
No comments:
Post a Comment