The Day after Christmas

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It’s the day after Christmas, and all through the house....

There are several possibilities beyond “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

You are exhausted.

You are depressed.

You are secretly relieved.

You are feeling over-fed and over-spent.

But did you hear, more than once during the Christmas season, about the importance of keeping Christmas alive in your heart and spirit 365 days a year?

I did, too.

A spirit of gentleness and giving,

... patience and kindness,

... joy and love,

... family and friendship,

... generosity and selflessness.

And all by remembering the great gift of the coming of Jesus, a life that began with the wood of the manger leading to the wood of the cross.

It’s the day after Christmas. Which means now is when the real challenge of keeping a Christmas spirit begins. So, no matter how your Christmas went,

... who visited you (or didn’t)

... how many attended your church (or didn’t)

... what you got as a present (or didn’t),

… remember, it’s not about you.

It’s about the birth of the Child in Bethlehem. And how that Child is meant to live in our hearts, changing us from the inside out.

So welcome to the day after Christmas.

And to the real test of whether you are going to keep a Christmas spirit all year long.

James Emery White

Editor’s Note

This blog was first published last year, and the Church & Culture Team thought you would enjoy reading it again. We hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/SeventyFour

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.