Friday, January 7, 2022

Just the Beginning

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10 - Day 7: Today, I am grateful the Christmas tree is just the beginning. 

Is  your tree down? This Christmas tree whispers of things to come:

 "No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:13-17

Christmas... the full season... technically ended this week. Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on 6th January. Some celebrate it as the Feast of the Three Kings, who we know arrived late to the party. Late, or right on time? 

The three Magi brought warning of the King's growing fear that this child who brought angels from heaven to sing would dethrone him. Herod was paranoid to begin with so it didn't take much to agitate him. 

The Magi are often remembered for the gifts they provided of Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. I've written about the significance of each gift in previous posts. Today, I want to remember the forgotten gift... the warning that led them to flee to Egypt. 

"After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."-Matthew 2:13

The wee Jesus and his parents would hide in Egypt and fulfill one of the many prophecies about the Messiah. With Christmas barely in the rearview mirror, I don't want to rush. I need to slow down and take in the wonder of it all. The season months between Christmas and Easter are worth savoring. Not for the bitter winter chills, but because Easter is on the way. 

Today, I am grateful the Christmas tree is just the beginning. 

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