Christmas is not over

First Sunday after Christmas Matthew 2:13-23 A Christmas Story Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” On this first Sunday of Christmas, we, too, have come to worship Jesus the Messiah: the son of David, the son of Abraham. When the wise men saw the child with Mary his mother, they knelt down, paid him homage, and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. On this first Sunday of Christmas, we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you, O God. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. Glory to God in the highest heaven! (Presbyterian Outlook, Phillip Gladden) Invocation Holy Love, we delight in your presence among us. We anticipate your wisdom, assurance, and challenge. Soften our hearts, enliven our spirits, and expand our minds so that we may reflect your heart, spirit, and mind. Through our remembering, give us courage to face these times and hope to seek your kingdom. In the name of the One who came to us and lives and reigns with you, we pray. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song Joy to the World UMH 246 A Sermon for all Ages What did you Get for Christmas? Children’s Sermon: “Christmas Is Still Going” (Have a small nativity figure, a baby doll, or even a flashlight with you.) Good morning, friends! I have a question for you. Who got Christmas presents this year? (Wait for hands.) Who ate Christmas cookies? (Wait, smile.) Now here’s a trickier question: Is Christmas over? A lot of people think it is. The tree comes down. The lights go off. The songs stop playing on the radio. Sometimes it feels like Christmas just disappears. But today’s Bible story tells us something surprising. After Jesus was born, something scary happened. A king named Herod was afraid of baby Jesus. So God sent an angel to talk to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, “Get up. Take Mary and Jesus and go somewhere safe.” So Joseph got up. Mary got up. And they took baby Jesus on a journey. That means the first Christmas didn’t end with everyone staying cozy and safe. Christmas went on the road. Let’s pretend for a moment. Everyone, stand up. Now quietly tiptoe in place—because they had to leave at night. (Do it together.) Now hold your arms like you’re carrying something very precious. That’s baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph had to protect him. They had to love him. They had to keep going—even when it was hard. And here’s the important part for us: When Christmas ended for them… Christmas was just beginning. Because Christmas isn’t only about presents or lights or cookies. Christmas is about love. Christmas is about helping people feel safe. Christmas is about being kind. Christmas is about caring for others—especially when they are small or scared or hurting. So when you share your toys, that’s Christmas. When you help someone who is sad, that’s Christmas. When you say thank you, or I’m sorry, or I love you—that’s Christmas too. Christmas doesn’t stop when the decorations come down. Christmas keeps going—through you. Let’s say that together: “Christmas is not over. Christmas is just beginning!” (Repeat once more.) Let’s pray. Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for Jesus. Help us carry your love everywhere we go. Help us be kind, brave, and loving— because Christmas is still going. Amen. ________________________________________ If you’d like, I can: • shorten this to 2 minutes • adapt it for very young children • or add a simple object lesson (like moving nativity figures or a flashlight for “light in the darkness”) Is this conversation helpful so far? Affirmation of Faith In Jesus of Nazareth, true humanity was realized once for all. Jesus, a Palestinian Jew, lived among his own people and shared their needs, temptations, joys, and sorrows. He expressed the love of God in word and deed and became a brother to all kinds of sinful men and women. But his complete obedience led him into conflict with his people. His life and teaching judged their goodness, religious aspirations, and national hopes. Many rejected him and demanded his death. In giving himself freely for them, he took upon himself the judgment under which everyone stands convicted. God raised him from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord. The victim of sin became victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all. (Presbyterian Confession of Faith 1967) Passing of the Peace Song Welcome to Our World Worship and Song 3067 –(see insert) Scripture Matthew 2:13-23 A Post Christmas Story Christmas Has Just Begun By December 26th, most of the world has moved on. The radio stations switch back to regular programming. The stores rip down the decorations overnight. Trees sit at the curb, stripped of ornaments, waiting for pickup. Even in our homes, boxes come out, and we begin the quiet work of putting Christmas away. We do it almost automatically—because that’s what we’re used to. Christmas is something we finish. But the Gospel of Matthew tells us something very different. Matthew does not end the Christmas story with angels and shepherds and lullabies. Matthew tells us that after the celebration, danger arrives. After the gifts are opened, fear enters the story. After the holy night, there is a knock in the dark. Joseph has a dream—not a comforting dream, but a disturbing one. “Get up,” the angel says. “Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt.” No choirs. No star. No peaceful ending. Just urgency. Mary and Joseph do not get to linger in the glow of Christmas. They don’t get to stay where it feels safe. They gather what they can, wake the baby, and leave—because love sometimes looks like running toward the unknown in order to protect what matters most. That is the part of the Christmas story we don’t put on greeting cards. And yet—it may be the most important part. Because this is where Christmas stops being a moment… and starts becoming a way of life. ________________________________________ A few days after Christmas, Mark noticed that his neighborhood looked different. The inflatable snowmen were gone. The lights were dark. A discarded Christmas tree lay on the curb, needles already browning, one string of lights still clinging to its branches. One bulb flickered on and off, stubbornly refusing to go out. Mark smiled at that. At home, Christmas was already being dismantled. Ornaments wrapped carefully in tissue paper. The stockings folded and tucked away. The nativity set sat half-packed on the dining room table. The shepherds were back in their box. The animals were missing. The wise ones hadn’t been packed yet—still waiting on the shelf, as if mid-journey. His daughter stood nearby, holding the small figure of Mary. “Why are we putting Jesus away already?” she asked. Mark paused. He gave the answer most of us give. “Well… Christmas is over.” But even as he said it, the words didn’t sit right. Later that night, he scrolled through the news. Stories of violence. Families displaced. Children caught in systems too big and too cruel for them. Fear dressed up as policy. Power protecting itself at the expense of the vulnerable. And suddenly Matthew’s story felt uncomfortably current. Herod was afraid of losing control. So he chose cruelty. And Christmas—the real Christmas—found itself on the run. Mary and Joseph became refugees. Jesus became a child whose life depended on the courage of others. The Savior of the world became someone who needed protecting. Christmas did not end with peace on earth. It collided with the reality of a broken world. And still—God stayed in it. ________________________________________ The next morning, Mark kept thinking about that flickering light on the tree at the curb. About how easy it would have been to unplug it. About how tempting it is to say, “That season is done.” But Matthew reminds us: Christmas isn’t a story we admire—it’s a story we continue. Joseph didn’t argue with the angel. He didn’t say, “Can we wait until after the holidays?” He got up. He moved. He acted. So Mark tried to do the same. At the coffee shop, he noticed the barista looked exhausted. Instead of rushing off, he thanked her by name. It felt small—but it mattered. At work, he listened instead of interrupting. At the grocery store, he slowed down instead of snapping. On the way home, he stopped at the food pantry—not because it was convenient, but because it was necessary. None of it felt dramatic. None of it came with angels singing. But it felt… faithful. That night, he took the nativity back out. This time, he didn’t put it in the center of the table like a finished display. He placed it near the edge—Mary and Joseph angled as if they were moving forward. He left the wise ones off to the side, still traveling. He kept the scene unfinished. “This is how the story goes on,” he told his daughter. Because Christmas isn’t something we protect behind glass. It’s something we carry into the world. ________________________________________ Matthew 2 reminds us that the Christmas story is not sentimental—it is courageous. It tells us that following God may lead us into uncomfortable places. That loving Christ means protecting the vulnerable. That light does not deny the darkness—it shines within it. The child grows up. The family returns home. The story continues. And now, the angels are quiet. Now, we are the ones who must get up when love calls us to move. Now, we are the ones who must shelter hope when fear threatens it. Now, we are the ones who carry Christ into a world that still needs saving So if you feel a little disoriented after Christmas—good. If you feel like something is unfinished—good. That’s because it is. Christmas is not over. It has just begun. It begins every time we choose compassion over convenience. Every time we protect the vulnerable. Every time we refuse to let the light go out—even when the season has passed. The tree may be at the curb. The music may have changed. But the child is still on the move. And so are we. So let me ask, when is Christmas over for you. Are you one to take down the decorations as soon as Christmas is over, or do you let it linger. Well this year, I didn’t get the chance to decorate my tree until Christmas day. I am one who has a hard time letting go of the Christmas spirit, so I knew that the lights stay on for me until January 9th, and then it still takes a few days to put it up. Different traditions have different opinions about the end of Christmas – for most it is January 6th of January 7th for us – Epiphany Sunday. For others ends at the feast of the baptism, which is the second Sunday of January, for others it is Candlemas, which isn’t until February 2. Of course, Jesus would want us to keep the spirit of Christmas going all year. Can you imagine what a different place the world would be if we gave to the world the way we do for Christmas. I saw a Facebook post that said the even though the giftgiving is over, Christmas just begins. Howard Thurman – the dean of Boston University as well as a civil rights leader also tells us that the work of Christmas has just began. When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. Dr, Thurman takes his cue from Matthew chapters 5 and 6 where Jesus tells us the work of a Christian. To reach out to those who are seeking, to pray for those who are in need, to not only provide food for those who are hungry, but to reject systems that keep them impoverished, to be an intentional part of the community, to be nice to those around us, to praise God in all that we do. Jesus did all of those things for others, and he showed us how to continue that work. Basically, Jesus came into the world – to transform the world through unconditional love. He loved us so that we could love others. Unconditional love does not have a set circumstance, unconditional love does not a specific person to save, it is intended for everyone. Unconditional love does not have a set time to show itself. Anytime that we show unconditional love – the Spirit of Christmas, the spirit of Christ is in the air. Let us pray – for Christ Spirit to be with us all of the time……. (ChatGPT six) Song It Came Upon a Midnight Clear UMH 218 Prayer for the Arrival of Christmas (do not print) Almighty and eternal God, we praise you for the joy of Christmas and for the gift of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. In this season of goodwill, we remember your covenant promises and your mighty acts for all of your people. Once again, we have been comforted by the story of Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. We have taken heart when we again heard the news that a Savior was born for us in Bethlehem. We have enjoyed the celebrations and the giving and receiving of gifts. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Christmas. And yet, Lord, we know Christmas comes in a world in which there is not much peace, joy and goodwill. Rulers use their power to get rid of anyone and anything that threatens their control. Innocent children suffer and die. So many people live with injustice every day. Death seems to have the final word. Gracious and loving God, we pray for our world that needs to hear the good news of Christmas. We pray you will give us the courage and strength to be witnesses to our Savior, not just in what we say but especially in how we live. Help us remember and share the joy of Christmas throughout the year. During this Christmas season, may we not forget to share the love you have so freely given in Jesus Christ. Guide us in all we do that we may respond with compassion to those in need. Help us be a church that takes the good news of Jesus Christ beyond the walls and traditions and safety of our buildings. Help us always to put our trust in our Lord who says, “Follow me.” [Here the prayer leader may add particular concerns of the congregation and the world, especially for those for whom the Christmas season is particularly hard because of sorrow, health issues, and other concerns.] We love you, Lord. Show us how to love others with the same grace and love you have given us in Jesus Christ. Amen (Presbyterian Outlook, Philip Gladden) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Invitation to Generosity Generosity is a spiritual gift and a discipline. Let us cultivate our practice of trusting in God’s provision, abundance, and love by giving generously to meet the needs of our community and beyond. Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving Wise God, we present these offerings to you and dedicate our time, talents, and treasures for your kingdom. May your will be done, our siblings needs be met, and your name be known through what we share in praise and thanksgiving for all you have given to us in time, talent, and treasure. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Announcements Community Time - Joys and Concerns Benediction When we leave this place, we keep our connection to one another. When we leave this time, we keep our focus on the God we trust. When we leave this service, we keep our worship going in service in the world. May our commitments bloom, our hope flourish, and our ministry prosper as we go forth in God’s love. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay)