Tis (Still) the Season

I learned something fascinating the other day, which you probably already knew about. All my life I have assumed that the Twelve Days of Christmas all led up to Christmas day. My wife taught me that this is not the case, and that the twelve days actually start on Christmas day and end January 5th. As I said, you probably already knew this, but my wife taught me something very valuable: Christmas isn't over.

Traditionally, the celebrations after Christmas culminated in the festival of Epiphany on January 6th; "epiphany" meaning manifestation or appearance (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary). The festival celebrated Christ appearing to the Gentiles (i.e. the Magi).

So what does this mean for us? It could simply mean a few extra days of Christmas trees, decorations, and radio stations playing Christmas music non-stop. Or, deeper than that, and rather than packing everything up on December 26th and forgetting all about Christmas, maybe there is an opportunity to be witnesses to another layer of meaning for this season.

It is interesting that the Magi have a prominent role in the Nativity. I'm not the first to discover this, but you could consider the Magi as an unlikely group of characters to appear on the scene. They presumably came from far away to see firsthand the child who had been born. They apparently were aware of the birth of the child as a result of their study of the stars. Also, maybe most striking, they were most likely not already part of God's chosen people (i.e. not Jewish). They weren't the religious elite from around where Christ was born. They were most likely wealthy, but having the stamp of approval from some Eastern kings probably wouldn't carry much weight with the Jewish people. Their place in the story is altogether unlikely.

And that's me. My place in God's story, based on a worldly standard, is altogether unlikely. I don't measure up. I miss the mark. Compared to God, I have nothing to brag about. No platform from which I can boast. I'm not part of any elite group. But, God came to me anyway. He made me part of his story.

So, rather than be in a mad rush to put all our Christmas decorations away, I want to take some time to remember what my wife taught me: Christmas isn't over. As unlikely as it was to reach out to me and show me grace, that's exactly what God did. And that's reason to celebrate.