So here it is January 7 and my Christmas tree is still up. I've been
looking at it and thinking, and I just decided to keep it up a while longer. For
years I used to keep the tree up until Epiphany, January 6. That was tradition
and I think I’ll revive it. Epiphany, for anyone who may not be familiar with
it is the day to commemorate the visit to the Christ Child by the wise men from
the East. It's the last official calendar day for Christmas holy days.
Looking at my tree, I also hesitated to take it down because
of its presence. What else can I use to fill up that space where the twinkling
colorful lit grandeur of my tree was? And it is a three-dimensional scrapbook,
with mementos and dated ornaments galore.
So what to do? Is there still a reason to be festive,
celebrate and be merry? I sure hope so. It can’t just end with the last piece
of décor being packed away. So I will FIND reasons to celebrate, some that aren’t
dependent on a calendar or a season. There may be no more tree, but I will hang
a wreath on my door and celebrate!
P.S. I'm leaning toward a rag wreath. I have an old wreath form, fabric scraps are easy to come by and I am sure I can find a way to add some meaning and significance to each scrap - sort of like a quilt!
Here's a link with directions on how to make a rag wreath: Rag Wreath How-To
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I read my devotions today, the same book I have been using since 2014. But there is always something new to learn, I guess! The devotion talked about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem when the crowds waved palm branches and greeted him with great joy. But it went on to say, "They did not know that their joy would lie in the grave with Him for three days."
At that point I had a “Wait, what?” moment: “their joy would lie in the grave with Him for three days…” Joy lying in the grave, that was the breakthrough concept. My joy lies in the grave until I recognize the potency of Jesus' resurrection; until that resurrection is awakened in me, recognized and seen and felt by me. His resurrection covers it. All the death in the world—hatred, unforgiveness, coldness, sickness, hardheartedness, misery, destruction, sadness, depression, and on and on—all that is death, including death, is overcome by one action, the resurrection of Jesus. It’s over, Death. It’s over, Heaviness. It’s over, Sad Memories. It’s over, Losses-that-are-irretrievable. It’s over, Guilt. It’s over, Anxiety. It’s over, Fear. It’s over, Sickness. It’s over, Sad Outcomes. It’s over, Circumstances-beyond-my-control. It’s over, __________________ . Join me!
It may need to be repeated and relearned again and again for me, but I know truth when I see it and feel it.
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:56-7
