ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
December 26, 2021
For many households, the Christmas decorations are headed back to the attic or closet today. Christmas is done, the radio stations have moved to their usual formats, and we need to remember that Easter is just a few short months away. For many people, Christmas is complete, but in fact, the church doesn’t begin celebrating Christmas until Christmas Eve. The culture and economic system have been celebrating Christmas since Halloween, yet church tradition didn’t celebrate the arrival of the shepherds until two days after Christmas. Remember, the angels appeared to the shepherds with a great announcement, but they had to walk (with sheep) some distance. The church marked the 12 Days of Christmas as the time between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6, though we will celebrate Sunday, January 9). Epiphany is when we remember the arrival of the Magi. Just because much of the world is moving onto something other than Christmas, we need to remember the faithful journey of the shepherds and the need to seek out the Good News of the Christ Child even after December 25th.
Encourage within me, O Lord, a yearning for Christmas. I want to feel a deep desire for the gift of Emmanuel no matter what the calendar says. Amen.
