Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king.
~ Angels from the realms of glory
On this day, I wish you and yours a blessed, holy, joyful, and peace-filled Christmas. You deserve it. You have prepared diligently for this day through your Advent preparation. All that this day brings shall not be taken from you.
I just want to caution you about one thing: many people, when Christmas arrives, make the mistake of saying, “It’s finally here. Now it’s over.” Uh, uh. No, no. Absolutely not. Christmas is here and will remain here for a while. Liturgically, Christmas is celebrated for an entire Octave. And when the eight days of Christmas are complete, we enter into the Christmas season which doesn’t end until after the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.
Christmas, therefore, is more than a day. It is more than an Octave. It is more than a season. It is a way of life. We should live the joy and peace of Christmas each day, letting people know of our great love for God and of God’s great love for us.
Sadly, Christmas is often tainted by the world around us. We have been inundated by Christmas carols on the radio since Halloween. On Christmas Day, the radio stations resume their former broadcasting. Now that Christmas has arrived, the stations ignore it. In the stores, we will see Valentine’s specials and maybe even Easter sales. On television, “Christmas” will be celebrated with airings of Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard, The Santa Clause, The Christmas Story, Scrooged, and other parodies/comedies about Christmas.
Don’t fall for the trap that the world has set. Instead, embrace Christmas for all that it is worth, celebrating it with family and friends.
FAITH ACTION:Â In your own way, worship Christ, the newborn king!