Christmas Isn’t Over

If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, then what is January? In Ireland, it’s dark and cold. The sun is getting up late, staying lazily low, and clocking out early. Although December is literally the darkest month of all, January is when you feel it most. The darkness of December just means you can turn the Christmas lights on sooner and enjoy them longer. But now the lights are coming down, while the darkness still remains. Christmas is over. Or is it?

The celebration is over. It had to end sometime. We couldn’t keep up that pace forever—or that calorie intake. But the reason behind the festivities remains. The Saviour that the angels announced has come—that fact is still just as true in January as it was in December. When the angels told the shepherds they brought “good news that will cause great joy for all the people”, they meant it. We’re used to news, of course—although good news does seem a bit unusual these days. But this isn’t just another headline. Not even a big one. Not even a surprisingly happy one. This news is another category altogether. It is good news so completely good that it has the power to overwhelm and eventually unravel every bit of bad news the world has ever seen. Yes, really. This child that the angels announced didn’t come to make our dark reality a little brighter for a little while, like Christmas lights in December. He came to change reality completely—forever—for everyone who puts their trust in him. He came to make his sun rise on our midnight, to bring every one of his children into the full and glorious light of his eternal day.

In January, the darkness is still here, but the light steadily increases—a little more every day. The same is true about the effects of Christmas for God’s people. The Light of the World has come. The darkness of sin and suffering still linger, but slowly, steadily, the light increases. Dawn is breaking for God’s children. The decorative lights may be coming down, but the effects of Jesus’ coming continue to reverberate, long after the feasts and carols and parties are done. They don’t just reverberate like the fading echo of steeple bells. The power and influence of Jesus’ life does not wane with time like every other great person the world has ever known. It grows like the morning light. Steadily, our risen, incarnated Saviour continues his work, even today. The power of his life, death, and resurrection continues to change countless hearts, lives, and eternal destinies. His subversive kingdom continues to expand across the globe, right under the noses of the leaders, power brokers, and presidents. They all rise and fall, they all wax and wane—he remains.

The celebrations might be finished, but there is no end to the good news of Christmas.