After a huge build-up to the actual day, a build-up which included: non-stop Christmas music since the first day of November, Christmas shows on TV, Hallmark Christmas movies, shopping right up till the final store closings on Christmas Eve, labors of love in preparing wonderful Christmas dinners, and much more – to paraphrase Forrest Gump: “And just like that, Christmas was over.”  Now comes the hard part – cleaning up.  It’s not that the work of clean-up is hard.  The hard part is that, as you put away every tree and decoration, you realize that it will be another 11 months before you will see them again, 11 months before the joy of Christmas will be yours again. 

For many people, Christmas clean-up is not limited to the inside of the house.  There are also lights and wreaths and other things that have been on display outside the house.  Some of these decorations are so elaborate that they have drawn visitors from all around to watch and listen, and to be amazed by the talents behind such amazing displays.  Taking this stuff down will take time and patience. 

When I was growing up, outdoor Christmas displays of any kind were fairly simple for the most part.  They were also few and far between.  And, perhaps it was because I noticed that such outdoor displays were relatively rare that it seemed to me that the people who did have outdoor displays must be special, that they must be among those who know the true meaning of Christmas.

And so, I began bugging my Dad to let us put up some lights outside so that people would realize that we too were part of that special Fraternity who knew the true meaning of Christmas.  I think I came to this conclusion from Scripture itself –  you know, the one about not hiding your light [Matthew 5:15-16].    

Strangely enough, while my Dad was glad that I had gone to Scripture with my problems, he wasn’t overly impressed with my interpretation of that Scripture.  He didn’t immediately jump at this opportunity to join the Outdoor Christmas Lights Fraternity.  My memory says it took at least a couple of years of constant begging from me before he relented.  And then one night, with no warning, he came home with a string of outdoor Christmas lights.  Yes, you read that right – “a” string, one string of multi-colored lights.  And I think there were only seven lights on this string.

But I didn’t care that this was going to be a mighty humble attempt to be initiated into that special Fraternity of those “in-the-know”.  I presumed that any kind of lighted outdoor display would serve to confirm the truth of our “specialness”.  And there was nobody with more joy than me when, with the help of Dad and some of the other siblings, that string of multi-colored lights that we put on the hedge by the front door was finally turned on.  “YES!”  The lights were visible to anyone who looked closely enough as they drove or walked by our house.  Now it was obvious to any thinking person that these lights established our membership in the Fraternity of The Special – the ones who were in-the-know when it came to all things Christmas.    

Strangely enough, my joy in these lights gradually lessened over the years.  No one from Fraternity Headquarters ever came by to inspect and give the “thumbs up” sign; no one came to teach me the secret Fraternity handshake.  No one from the neighborhood honked or waved in support as they drove by.  And, I began noticing that the people who were putting up outdoor Christmas decorations were doing things far more elaborate and beautiful than my tiny, 7-bulb string draped over the hedge.  Eventually, I just quit, and that little 7-bulb string of outside lights fell to the bottom of the decorations box – unused and forgotten.  It hurts when that “special” thing that you think makes you “special” turns out to be not really very “special” at all.  

I wonder if perhaps this same kind of pattern crosses over from the realm of outdoor Christmas displays into the realm of The Church?  You may have noticed that brand new followers of Jesus always begin their walk with great enthusiasm and joy.  They are eager to learn more. They are eager to serve.  They are eager to work for The Kingdom.  Yet somehow, as time passes, it seems that this fire of zeal for The Kingdom often seems to wane and shrink and become cool, if not cold.  Somehow, they lose the sense that they are “special” in the eyes of The Lord.  To make matters worse, sometimes the more “experienced” followers of Jesus completely miss these signs of trouble, and fail to come alongside these disciples and hold them up and stand with them and stand by them.  Eventually, the experienced followers find themselves asking, “Whatever happened to _____?”  But it is too late now.

Or is it?

The good news is that the promise of God is this  – “He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick.” [Matthew 12:20].  God has not given up on those whose fire has almost died. 

And, do you know how God shows this great promise to those whose zeal is nearly gone?  That’s right.  He calls on us to be Jesus to them.  And when I say “us”, I mean “YOU”.  There are people out there that only you can reach.  The same is true for me.

As we say good-bye to the old year, may we resolve that in the coming New Year, we will look for opportunities to be Jesus to someone.      

 Ambrose Ramsey | Pastor and Shepherd