Take the Child

Luke 2:27b-28 (NIV) "When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God . . ."

Well. Christmas is over. Time to move on. That's my usual response at this time of year. Time to get back to real life. Yesterday with Dayton's 55 degree weather, the exterior Christmas decorations came down, and we followed suit inside taking down the tree and rearranging the living room back. Time to move on.

For many, this is the attitude at this time of year. I mean, enough already, right? Christmas has been in our face since October, and of course has been amped up to crazy levels since Thanksgiving more that five weeks ago, so we're tired of it right? It was nice while it lasted, but let's get on with it. For others, Christmas provides a welcome escape from reality, from a dreary job, from relationship problems, from financial problems. There is a certain freedom during the Christmas season for some, when the holiday mood and the generosity of people becomes what we wish it was all year long. Some of us dread the end of Christmas and the return to reality.

How does God suggest we deal with the end of the Christmas season? Does the Bible give any direction? The first Christmas was quite an event for Joseph and Mary. The miracle birth of the child. The shepherds coming and praising God! What a celebration! Luke tells us that Mary just took and pondered all this and treasured the memories in her heart. Yet for them, there was a December 26th, and a return 'normal life' and all that was entailed with that.

We see in Luke 2 starting at verse 21 that they need to make a trip to the temple to have the new baby Jesus circumcised in order to keep the law. So the requirements of daily life return for them, and they have to do what they have to do. And then they run into this guy Simeon. And the text says that Simeon, when led by the Holy Spirit to be in the presence of the messiah Jesus, his response was to take the child in his arms and praise God.

I think that is our best response at this time. Take the Child in your arms and praise God! One last time before you get back to your routine, your every day non Christmas holiday life, led by the Holy Spirit into the presence of the messiah - take that child - and all that peace and joy that He brings - take the child in your arms - and praise God!

And as you move into the new year - spend a day (maybe New Year's Day) thinking about how you can take the child in your arms and with you into every day life. How will you take the child in your arms and praise God? How could that perspective at the beginning of each day of 2007 change things? How could it change relationships in your life? How could it change your perspective toward your work? How could it change finanical choices and dealing with uncertainty?

Here's an idea. Try taking the 31 days of January and keep the child in your mind each day. Begin with praising him, and each action and interaction you have, run it through the filter of who you are in Christ and the joy and peace that child in your arms brings to you. May we kick off the new year right by taking the time to pause each day, take the child in our arms, and praising God! Happy New Year!