2024: Week 2

It’s the second week of January. Christmas has come and gone. The New Year has rung. The decorations are stored until next November. 

I spoke to our FCA at school a week ago yesterday. Sometimes I spend much of the week preparing for these morning meetings. Other times I may give thought to what I want to share the night before. This time in the silence of my Friday morning driving by the creeks of Auburntown and over the hillsides of Statesville my mind rambled with what to share. 

Pulling into to the parking lot minutes before 7:10am, I jumped out of the Ford, swiped my badge, and power walked the hallways to the gym. Sweet but tired faces filled the room. The speakers usually stand. This morning I pulled a chair to the front, sat down, and took a breath.

I began to talk... 

This day, this Friday, was what some religous people think of as Epiphany...the visit of the Magi...otherwise know as the wisemen...I wonder if there were really just three? I digress.

They visited. They gave gifts. They didn't report back to Herod. 

Days before the shepherds had left their flock. They had witnessed something indescribable.They had seen angels and heard their chorus. They had run to the barn in humble Bethlehem. They had heard the cries. They had knelt before the King. 

We never hear anymore of the story of these wisemen and these shepherds. Scripture continues. But their story...for us it ends.

We anticipate December 25th. We celebrate His birth. We read Luke 2 and rejoice. We open the gifts and we eat lots of food. Our focus is on this Child that became a man and was the King of all Kings and became our Savior. Our focus is on Him. 

A week passes.

And then January 1st comes and it's a new year. It's time to make changes and resolutions. We plan a diet and buy a gym membership. We decide we need to spend more time self reflecting. We make promises to ourselves and speak of new habits and routines and changes. We focus on ourselves. 

What can I do better?

Why should January 1st or March 12th or August 8th or October 30th be any different than December 25th? 

He left Heaven. He became a baby, then a child, then an adolescent (bless Him) and finally a man. He walked this earth, humbly and lowly. He made strangers His friends, sinners His company, and outcasts His friends. Then He went to the cross and died. 

All for us. 

I bet the shepherds were never the same.  On January 1st I bet they could still hear the hallelujahs and see the glory. They were still excited about the cries and had the hope of the King's arrival. They probably didn't make resolutions and buy gym memberships. The wise men knew their focus. It was on Him. 

How can He make all things better?