By now, the hysteria of Christmas is beginning to wind down (we hope, anyways). We’re wearing the news clothes and playing with all the new toys. Some of us are faced with the challenge of  returning that new sweater vest with the Elvis/Santa emblazoned on the chest to a mall full of people looking to find one more deal in after-Christmas sales all the while avoiding the potential hurt feelings of people who were convinced the sweater was a sure-fire hit. The refrigerator is full of left-overs and, somewhere on the horizon, our “normal” lives are starting to take shape.

But, that’s where all the real meaning of Christmas comes to bear on our lives: when television stations are no longer airing the endless loop of the burning yule log and radio stations’ “sounds of the season” simply means “our normal broadcast of easy listening hits.”  That’s where all the implications of Jesus at Christmas become real. Because, it’s in our normal lives: the going to work, solving problems, mowing the lawn, and handling the stuff of life where being someone who follows Jesus, matters. No longer is life about getting ready for Christmas. Instead, it’s about living in it — about living with Him.

Therein lies the challenge. What does it mean to Christmas when the world relegates Jesus to little more than a seasonal decoration and a kind of Disney-mystical wizard responsible for something called “Christmas magic?”

So… Merry Christmas,
Jeff