Life on the other side of Christmas …

On that first Christmas, there was a great celebration!

It came in the form of heaven’s citizen’s being so excited about what was happening that they simply could not contain themselves and busted out in unbridled praise and worship:

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased,” Luke 2:8-14.

It was a BIG night in the town of Bethlehem!

But the next day?

Back to normal for those who lived there, for those who offered a place to Mary and Joseph, for the shepherds who had sheep to tend to. It would only be different for Mary and Joseph, who now found themselves as the proud parents of Immanuel, “God with us.”

Having a baby certainly changed Joseph and Mary’s lives, but a new baby on earth didn’t change anyone else’s lives … for a while. It wasn’t until that baby grew up to become a man who preached, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt.4:17), who fulfilled the Law by living a sinless life and then went on to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity, then punctuated His earthly journey by rising from the grave to defeat death before eventually returning to the Father in heaven … well, after all that, that baby-become-Messiah changed things for everyone!

Today, you and I find ourselves on the other side of that first Christmas. The impact on us? Many experience a “lingering impact” from Christmas by heeding an advertisement one store was brandishing through the holiday season: “Make this Christmas one you will not soon forget — charge everything!”

But the real impact for us on this side of that first Christmas comes to us in this message from scripture:

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds,” Titus 2:11-14.

That’s what life on this side of Christmas is supposed to look like.

Is that how Christmas has impacted you?

Scotty