Christmas Isn't Over
By Elisa Morgan
Is your tree still up? Your lights still a twinkling? The carols still a playing?
This is the week we box Christmas up and drag it to the basement or hoist it up the attic stairs or shove it away into the storeroom. Out of sight. There to sit in the dark until the next advent advents.
Or perhaps you wait until Epiphany, the traditional date to celebrate the arrival of the Magi, then box it all up for another year.
But Christmas isn't over this week. It won't be over next week and it won't be over even in July. Christmas continues as long as we allow Christmas to change us and through us, to change our world.
The very first Christmas changed everything.
Christmas changed Mary from a betrothed adolescent virgin to the mother of our Savior.
Christmas changed Joseph from a grieving man, engaged to a suddenly pregnant-not-by-him woman, to a husband and the stepfather of Jesus.
Christmas changed shepherds from watching over lambs in a field to worshipping the Lamb of God in a manger.
Christmas changed Herod from a man who might find faith to a follower only of fear.
Christmas change the Magi from star-seekers to heavenly hunters.
Yes, that first Christmas changed everything. And because Christmas isn't over, it continues to change everything.
So watch for the continuing Christmas? The holy nights. The coming of the faithful. The infinite noels.
Emmanuel. God is with us. Today, tomorrow. Next month. Always.
Because Christmas isn't over!
Elisa Morgan speaks and writes to equip and encourage others. She is the cohost of Discover the Word. Her books include Hello, Beauty Full, The Beauty of Broken and She Did What She Could. Connect with Elisa @elisa_morgan on Twitter, on Facebook and elisamorganauthor on Instagram.