What happens after Christmas?

We know what happens after Christmas in our culture: return shopping, sale shopping, ‘going to get what you really wanted but didn’t get’ shopping; football games, decorations taken down, and just a general letdown after such a big buildup. We take a breath for a few days and then dive in for more after New Years. Oh, and exercise equipment sales balloon after everyone’s waistlines grow from eating so many goodies.

And all of this can and does often take place without any thought or mention or acknowledgement of Jesus Christ being born in Bethlehem so long ago to ultimately die in Jerusalem some thirty years later. People just live for themselves with no thought of God. Many who read these words today once lived like that. But now, by grace through faith in Christ you have been reoriented. Your life has been changed by Jesus, who came to earth and became one of us, to die for sinners.

The incarnation, God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in history. And so many live without thought of the One who lived and died so people made in His image might have life. Today I want us to focus our attention on what happened soon after Jesus’ birth. In the story I hope you will see as 2 Cor. 5:15 says, that "the love of Christ controls us, having concluded that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rise on their behalf". We who live can live life to the fullest because God has gone to the fullest extent to give us life. That the reason we have reason for living is because God is faithful – He has made a way possible for us to be made new and in faithfulness He sustains us. Because God is always faithful we can live fruitful lives for His glory.

In Luke 2:21-40 you see what happened soon after Jesus Christ was born. What happened after Christmas. How a man and a woman responded to God in the flesh. It shows that men and women responded to Jesus, the rich, the poor, the old, the young, whosoever will come to Him, God accepts those who choose to respond in trust and obedience as He enables and directs. All He expects of us is trust, obedience and action; He provides the necessary tools, all the gifts, abilities, heart and desire required.

But we must act. Some friends of ours were on that Northwest flight that was interrupted by a would-be terrorist on Christmas day - a passenger ignited something that would have caused much harm if someone had not acted and acted quickly. Someone acted to apprehend the perpetrator before something terrible happened. It was his time to act and he did. The old saying that the only thing it takes for evil to spread is for good men to do nothing held true in that situation.

It reminds me of Daniel 11:32 “the people who know their God will display strength and take action”. Like God said to Joshua as He was commissioning him to replace Moses: “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous…only be strong and very courageous, be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart form your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success (act wisely). Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5-9)

Time is not waiting for us. Time doesn’t wait, it keeps going. The time is now to act, the time is now but we are always waiting for ‘someday’ aren’t we? Danger is in waiting for someday and it never comes, because today was our someday.

If you know Jesus, God is with you, He has given you His promises, and He has either fulfilled them, is fulfilling them, or will fulfill them; so you can move confidently, dependent on Him for strength and wisdom, to do what is good, right and true. Take a step of faith. And see what God will do.