After

The week between Christmas and New Year is a confusing one. It's not really certain which day of the week it is, what sort of food should be consumed, or what we should do with our time after exhausting all of the trivia quizzes and board games.

It's fair to say that post-Christmas often feels a little bit disappointing. Possibly because festive hype begins in November, or because films like Love Actually make Christmas the 'ultimate celebration'. Personally, I'm a bit gutted there's no more advent chocolate.

The Christmas story is a remarkable one. Mary, a teenage mum who only became pregnant after she agreed to participate with God's plan, despite the risks to her reputation. She could've been killed for being pregnant outside of marriage. Joseph, who stuck by his fiancee and actually believed that she'd become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. A load of angels, who appeared to shepherds - poor people looking after sheep - instead of high priests or religious teachers, which meant they became the first visitors to welcome Jesus the baby.

But my favourite is Simeon, who's often missed out of the Nativity because his moment comes after Jesus's birth. His powerful words showcase the meaning of Christmas:

"With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;
it’s now out in the open for everyone to see." Luke 2:32 (The Message) 

Every year, around this time, I'm reminded that the Nativity is the start of the adventure, not the end. Advent is the eagerly waiting bit, but it's after Jesus's birth that the exciting stuff happens. I wrote something recently about Jesus: the ultimate justice hero, and it's a reminder (to me as much as anyone) that this baby didn't stay in the manger forever. 

I've had some conversations with my family this week about whether Christmas could just be an elaborate fairytale. Perhaps if we only focus on the idea of a baby born in a feeding trough, it does sound like something out of a children's book. 

But let's look at Jesus's birth as the opening scene of a much bigger story. Then, we see a teenager who seems to know more than grown-ups, an adult who heals the sick, speaks radical words and loves the marginalised, who's loved and hated, who dies and then rises from death. This story that sparks one of the world's biggest religions; and one of the world's most persecuted. 

Post-Christmas in the Bible is pretty amazing. So I'm remembering that it's the start of the story, not the end; that after Christmas is a season to get excited about.