Christ was born. Now what?

It’s the morning after Christmas, the packages have been opened, the boxes are stacked and ready to be taken out for recycling and the remnants of gifts can be seen scattered throughout the house.  The Christmas tree is lit but there is emptiness under its lowest branches, except for the wrinkled tree skirt that the gifts once laid on.  One might think it to be a sad day with all of the festivities and celebrating done for another year.  I look at it differently; it’s just the beginning of the celebrating.

Some of you will remember well when your children were born.  You anticipated for 9 months the coming.  You would prepare for the necessary items that you would have to have, prepare a room for the baby, and of course make sure you had many diapers on hand for this new little one.  The day of the birth was not the ending point.  It was just the beginning.

As we spent yesterday celebrating the birth of Christ we are thankful for the Savior that came to earth as a human born as a little baby.  When he was born the Shepherds went and told everyone because this was a big event.  The Savior of the world had finally arrived and it was just the beginning.  Just like what happened 2000 years ago, we too can joyfully tell people about Christ’s birth, but it doesn’t have to stop with just an announcement.  When a baby is born we do everything we can to get to know that new bundle of joy.  We spend time with him or her getting to know everything about them.  We stare at their face and see how their eyes are shaped, how they smile, the cute little dimple on the left side of their mouth.  We get to know them.  We don’t walk away from them the day that they are born. No, it’s only the beginning of getting to know them intimately. 

So too, the day after Christmas isn’t a day of sadness because the Happy Birthday Jesus cake has been eaten and we have to wait another year to make another.  We have the opportunity to get to know this Christ-child.  Just like a new parent does in getting to know their new child, we can begin today by truly knowing the Savior.  But how do we even begin?  We can’t hold him in our arms?  We can’t look at his face and see how he smiles or how he slowly falls asleep after drinking his bottle. 

Though we can’t physically make contact with our Savior, we can read about him and his character.  We can read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the Bible and find out what type of person Jesus was.  If you are looking for a new study to do this season, go through these books and underline or write down anything that has to do with Christ’s character.  What type of person was he?  How can we in turn emulate those same characteristics in our lives?  Ephesians 5:1-2 says, Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

If we want to know someone, we need to spend time finding out who they are.  Jesus didn’t come to earth to be celebrated only once a year but came to give us life.  For us to truly know that life we need to find out who he is and live like he did.  Don’t end the Christmas season by just picking up all of the stray wrapping paper and bows, pick up God’s Word and start to find out who this special baby is that was born as the Savior of the world.