day no. 17,227: keeping Christmas

“The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.” — G.K. Chesterton, On Christmas

We know that every knee will one day bow and every tongue someday confess that Christ is King. This will be done from the heart and in earnest. Some will confess this reality as a concession and some will bow in reluctant deference, but none will stand in that court or declare his own acclaim on that day. Until then, many will sing songs that declare that He is the Lord of all. They will give gifts to friends and family on His birthday and they will have His name on their lips as they say, "Merry Christmas" to passers by. The grace of God is waking up as to why we are doing this. The reason for the season does not suddenly appear, it is realized all of a sudden because it has always been there. In that moment, the forms and functions are revealed for what they were and always have been. Christ does not need to be born again in Bethlehem or crucified again on a Roman cross. What He did, He did so perfectly and completely that it requires no sequel. When the reality of this dawns on a man, it is often accompanied by the sudden realization of how slow he was in realizing it.

"After every time of darkness, there comes a mixture of delight and humiliation. There is delight at finally hearing God, and humiliation at how long it took to listen. 'How slow I’ve been in understanding!' you’ll say. 'And yet, God has been saying it all these days and weeks.' If you feel only delight, it is doubtful you have heard him at all." — Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

We are all a little bit slow. We have listened to things longer than we have heard them. We have celebrated Christmas in our homes before have celebrated them in our hearts, but rest assured, many who are keeping Christmas traditions today for cultural reasons will tomorrow be keeping them spiritual ones. Creeds come with the temptation to recite them without believing them, but they come with the benefit of giving one something to believe in when they realize what they have been so long in reciting.

Ephesians 5:14

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, 

and Christ will shine on you.

Someday we all will wake up to what we have done.