Christmas Isn’t Over Just Yet

Christ is Born; Glorify Him! These words rang out across the Orthodox world yesterday. Bells rang. Christmas carols echoed through the towns. Families gathered to exchange love and gifts. Today is a different story if you pay attention. The ‘world’ has already moved on. We have not.

For centuries Christians waited for Christmas to begin a twelve-day celebration of the Birth of our Savior. Today, not so much. Most Christian, even Orthodox Christian, are overwhelmed and too exhausted by ‘the holiday season’ to continue the celebration. We need to change that.

Christmas is a season, but the season starts on Christmas, not finished. That is why we will not fast again until January 5^th, for Theophany. So, fight the temptation to remove your decoration. Fight the desire to ‘go back’ to normal. Fight to keep celebrating Christmas.

The gift of Christmas is more than a twelve-day celebration without fasting. It is a new way of living. Just as the Magi returned to their home ‘by another way’ we can go back to our daily life ‘by another way’ too. The ‘other’ way is always remembering that God became like one of us.

The joy of Christmas isn’t in gift exchanges and family dinners. The joy is remembering that Christ experienced temptation as a human being, so that He could save us from sin and temptation. Well…..He can’t save us if we ‘return to normal’ until next Christmas.

BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I, and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2.11-18

Saint Paul takes extra effort to remind us today of our union with God, made possible by Christmas. We don’t just share love for God. We share our human nature with God. God knows exactly what we experience with every temptation, exactly because of Christmas.

When we celebrate Christmas, every day, we celebrate our union with God. There is no reason to ‘put that away’ with our decorations. There is no reason to stop singing. If you think about it, Christmas is never quite over. Merry Christmas, today – tomorrow – and forever!