Read:
“Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also. My Father’s house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare a place for you. And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am.
As we proceeded through the weeks of December we celebrated Advent, which is our anticipation of the arrival of the baby Jesus on Christmas. This, of course, can be a wonderful time filled with lights, music, excitement, joy, wonder. Then as December 26th rolls around, we’re ready to put it all behind us and move on into the end of the current year and the new year to come.
So that’s just it, the baby Jesus has come hasn’t He? He’s grown up, fulfilled His ministry on earth and His ultimate purpose of dying on a cross so our sins can be forgiven. He’s risen from the dead (which is AWESOME!) and He’s ascended into Heaven. Christmas is over and we just go on with life as we know it, in an always difficult world filled with struggles and sadness.
May I challenge you to take a different perspective? Yes, Christmas is over but we are now in a new Advent. This Advent began around 2000 years ago and we can celebrate it every day of our life! Jesus did come then as a baby, but while He was here Jesus made us a comforting promise. A promise we read about in John chapter 14. Jesus did ascend into Heaven but He’s not idle, instead He is preparing for us! He is preparing for the day He will return to gather us into the Father’s house. The Jesus of Christmas, the Jesus of Easter, is not done by a long shot. He is coming back to take us to where He is now.
There is even more reason today to let our light shine, to feel excitement, joy, and wonder, to celebrate with and through music. As cliché as it sounds, we can keep Christmas alive each and every day. Keep your hearts aligned with Him, keep looking up. We’re not home just yet – but when we are, that celebration will blow away anything we’ve ever experienced throughout a lifetime of December 25ths. You see, Christmas isn’t really over, it’s barely begun!
