The Reality of His Coming

Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him

Colossians 2:6

Christmas tends to take us to emotional mountaintops and the aftermath seems to leave us in emotional valleys. So much food, fun, pomp and ceremony seems to accompany Christmas that when it is over we are often left in a valley of exhaustion wondering, “Why all the bother?”

I believe it is helpful to keep a perspective on the difference between the celebration of Christ’s coming and the reality of His coming. The celebration involves worship services, special music, colorful ornaments, quaint family traditions, the giving and receiving of gifts, and too many other things to state them all. But this is just the celebration, and normally in the aftermath we are tired, sometimes exhausted, and emotionally spent.

But the reality of His coming is very different. He did not come so that we could have manger scenes, colorful houses, special foods, and quaint customs. He came that we might have salvation and life. He is just as much Lord after Christmas as He was before Christmas. The apostle commands us that just as we received Christ Jesus as our Lord, so we should continue to live in Him. The little wooden babe in the manger scene was not Christ — it was just a carving. The decorations of Christmas are not the Christian life — they are just ways we make our homes more beautiful. The reality of Christ is much different, much greater, eternal, reliable, steadfast, and faithful.

Today the real Christ is as relevant for our lives as He ever was. The joy with which we celebrate Christmas need not dissipate after December 25. We can continue to live in Him every day, to walk in fellowship with Him, to know His love, to feel His Spirit, to learn from His Word, to share life with His followers, and to give witness to His grace.