Christmas Spirit

 

When I was growing up, the Christmas season was always an extended one. My dad had seven brothers and sisters, my mom had three, and almost all of them lived near to us. Between Christmas and New Year’s we would go to visit many of them or they would come to visit us. Our Christmas season would continue through Epiphany, making for the full twelve days of Christmas. It was a joyful time!

 

Nowadays, we still try to continue the Christmas season through Epiphany.  It seems like most people, though, are back to business within the first few days after Christmas. The trees are put out to the curb, and everybody goes back to work and begins planning for New Year’s Eve.

 

Peter, James, and John got to see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, to see Him for who He really is, the King. It must have been a powerful, overwhelming experience for them. It had to be difficult for them to see everything return to what it was before and to have to go back down the mountain to their normal lives.  They were able to take comfort in the fact that they still had Jesus with them.

 

We celebrate Christmas each year and remember God’s great gift. Once the excitement and joy of the holiday begin to fade away, we should make a special effort to recall that we, like the disciples, still have God with us.  One of my favorite Christmas carols is Joy to the World. We can make it our prayer throughout the year.

 

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.