I don’t know what it is about a moment. After looking forward to it, baking, wrapping, traveling, buying for it. After planning and preparing that the moment goes just right. I don’t know what it is, but I always forget that the moment will come to an end.
The day after Christmas ushers in that after-moment depression. The beautiful sparkling tree now looks a little too dry and droopy. The delicious feast of the day before is now cold and stuffed into odd-sized bags and boxes in the fridge. My head is a little fuzzy from the perpetual parties leading up to the holiday moment, and the trash can is totally full.
Today, life continues as scheduled. But I always forget this is going to happen. The moment overtook my heart hopes and mind, for weeks, for months. But today I feel the sharp absence of direction and meaning. Again. The day after Christmas.
What’s the point of celebrating like silly, only to go back to the same drudgery year after year. Are we fooling ourselves with our big talk of peace on earth, goodwill among men. When the day after Christmas feels like nothing has changed.
Well, nothing has really changed.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
Human history looked forward to this moment in the universe, when God would dwell with His people. It was a long-awaited joy for God’s people to witness Jesus Christ, the son of God, talking and touching and drinking, with us. The prophets told us He would come. The church has been preparing the way so the Lord was recognized in the manger. Centuries of stories and songs and traditions get us all worked up that the Word has come down to live with us. Other-worldly, eternal hopes and dreams have been built into the momentary celebration of Christmas.
But then what. After the church takes down her Christmas tree?
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
God has chosen to be a God who dwells with his people, and yet we just don’t know how to handle that. In the Garden of Eden, He walked around with mankind until they hid in shame from sin. In the early times of God’s people wandering in the desert, He would hide in the tabernacle to cleanse His people from their wrongs. In a young woman’s womb, He was birthed into flesh to heal mankind’s disobedience. Yet we still hide, we stay away, we crucified Him. And He promises to keep showing up.
Christmas is a tiny window to the reality that always has been. Since the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God. Since the beginning, God would dwell with His people. Since the beginning, the Word would be made flesh. Nothing has changed, from before and after the Christmas moment.
“We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
So our feeling of disappointment the day after, is because we forgot what has already come before. We have already seen His glory. We already live in his gracious gift of forgiveness. We are ever-celebrating the truth of a restored everlasting life. Nothing has changed.
And we will do this all over, again and again, until the Last Day. Celebrating, forgetting, going through the highs and lows. And God will dwell with us. Word, Grace, Truth. Until that final Christmas, when the tiny window will be broken open. We will see a new heaven and new earth, and will finally see the Christmas moment that has never ended.
More resources:
Merry Christmas! Check out our Advent Devotion on JOHN 1:14 where Cindy and the kids discuss the humiliation of Jesus, why he became flesh, and what that means for us today.
When Christmas is Over: https://thejaggedword.com/2022/12/26/when-christmas-is-over-2/
After Birth: https://cindykochwrites.com/2022/12/26/after-birth-2/
After the Christmas Moments
Thank you.