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Keeping the Christmas Spirt Past Dec 25th



In a week it shall be Christmas! The most wonderful time of year will be upon us and for many it will be culmination of cheer that has built up this year. And yet, despite the exceeding joy the 25th of December brings, there equally is a pang of sorrow. The morn of Christmas Day is all jubilation, the evening is full of depression. The realization that all the glitter, holly and lights must come down eventually and the anticipation is now over can make Xmas a very grime day indeed. 

Part of the reason for this is the commercialization of Christmas. Because the morning of Dec 25th is about presents and opening them, the inevitable result is after all the boxes and bags have been torn open, the excitement and anticipation dies. This however was not the case for our ancestors in Christ. Christmas or Christ-Mass was one feast and liturgical event among many throughout the year. While it certainly is part of a primacy of the major holidays, the Church moved on from Xmas to minor feasts and then in April celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. For our ancestors the whole year was full of holidays commemorating the acts of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and more. There is even a Feast Day of the Holy Trinity! 

 Christmas thus was an highlight of liturgical calendar year, but unlike most secular society, the Church continued with more feast days such as Epiphany (Theophany, Little Christmas, Three Kings)  on January 6th, which commemorates and celebrates the visit of the Magi and most importantly is a Christian feast that proclaims the Revelation of our God Incarnate Jesus Christ, “Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles.” (Wikipedia). Hence why the United Kingdom and other nations celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas from Dec 25th to Jan 6th! So lest fXmas blues assail you on the 25th of December, with all your presents unwrapped, know that you can participate in Little Christmas and the feasts all year! 

Our ancestors in the faith knew best. Why let the 25th be the end of the Christmas season? Why not continue to celebrate Christ our Savior’s birth and the revelation that He is God Incarnate on January 6th?! So keep up your twinkle lights, trees (if they aren’t losing all their needles), and decor into the new year! Let the holiday cheer resound clear until Little Christmas! 


I believe that we should as Christians be Christ-Centered (Philippians 3:8, Hebrews 12:2), Solae Scripture (test all theology, doxology, and every thought and idea with Scripture, 2 Timothy 3:16-17), and Spirit Filled (moving in baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts Acts 19:1-15, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 2 Corinthians 14:20-35). In addition I think feasts and celebrations that aren’t regularly part of our churches are helpful like Epiphany,  Feast pf the Holy Trinity, and etc. We all have kept Christmas and Easter, why not keep the other feasts that give glory to our Lord God? Amen.  












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