The Celebration Should Never End

By F. D. Adkins

I love Christmas… spending extra time with family, watching old Christmas movies, enjoying lights and decorations, and singing carols. It is such a joyful time, and I don’t want it to end. But it’s not supposed to end. We celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of our Savior. And if we have accepted Jesus as Lord, then we should be filled with that joy all the time.

• “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 KJV

Now that Christmas is over, and we move toward a new year, I find myself thinking about goals and what I can do better in the coming year. You know what I mean… as you take down the tree… the big question lingering in your mind… “Now what?”  So, for my Bible study, I stepped just past the birth of Christ to the wise men (because in the book of Matthew, that is the order that the text follows). When I think of the wise men, the first thought that pops into my head is their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But as I read the scripture this past week, I realized that the story of the wise men goes so much deeper, and the answer to the “NOW WHAT?” question became clear to me.

To begin, look at the first two verses in the second chapter of Matthew. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Here, we learn that the wise men have traveled to Jerusalem to seek out Jesus so they can worship him.

So, part of the answer to that, “NOW WHAT?” question is… We need to seek the Lord.

• “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 KJV

Moving along, a little farther down in Matthew, chapter two, we learn that the star led them to Jesus. Notice in these verses what the wise men did when the star stopped, and they knew that they had found the Savior. “…And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Matthew 2:9-10 KJV).

• They rejoiced. SO…. IF WE HAVE FOUND JESUS AND KNOW HIM AS OUR SAVIOR… WE SHOULD BE REJOICING!!! “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 KJV

Then, the wise men entered the house where Jesus was, and they worshipped Him. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him…” Matthew 2:11 KJV

• Just as the wise men did… we should give praise to our Lord, and according to Hebrews 13:15, we should praise Him continuously. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (KJV)

Finally, the wise men presented gifts to the Lord. But what kind of gifts can we give to the Lord? What does God want from us? We can offer monetary gifts to help those in need. We can use the talents that the Lord has given each of us for His glory. We can give our time for His work. But first and foremost, He wants a relationship with us… He wants our love.

• “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:36-37 KJV.

Christmas may be over, but the celebration should never end. As we go into the new year, let’s continually seek the Lord by studying the scripture, spending time in prayer, and following His instruction. Let’s rejoice because we have a Father who loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son for us. Let’s worship continually giving thanks in all things. And let’s give our hearts to God, spending time building our relationship with Him, and showing Him the love that He deserves. After all, “…He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19 KJV), and “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 KJV)