Maybe not like this.
The look on this seven year old's face says it all.
No, she didn't do it.
The guilt is all her mother's.
The very woman who is supposed to protect the innocence of Christmas for our girls tried to murder our tree right in front of their eyes! (Although, she claims she only tried to "plug it in." But seriously, look at that crime scene! That never happened to me.)
If you haven't taken down your tree yet, it is okay.
You're most likely in good company.
The feeling of needing to have all our Christmas decorations put away hit me on Saturday. That feeling dissipated with each step I took in church on Sunday. In the entrance, sweet baby Jesus still lay in his manger comforting my soul. I began feeling more confident as I strolled past not one but two Christmas trees.
After church, we took down the Christmas tree (don't worry I didn't let Lacey assault the tree a second time) and put away the decorations.
However, this morning, I regret taking down the Christmas tree so soon. It became clear why so many churches haven't taken down their decorations yet.
Why?
Today is Epiphany.
Once upon a time, Christians took down their Christmas trees and burned them in a bonfire on this date. I'm not going to lie to you, burning dried up Christmas trees sounds like a whole lot of fun. Rednecks should jump on this holiday!
More than likely you don't observe Epiphany.
Possibly you don't even know it is a Christian holiday.
But it's a holiday worth giving some thought to.
Epiphany means "appearance or manifestation." Epiphany provides us with the opportunity to meditate on who Jesus is as divine Son and Savior coming into the world.
The Epiphany focuses on three miracles that revealed Jesus' divinity: 1) the wise men's visit (which is important for us Gentiles), 2) the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and 3) the wedding in Cana when Jesus turned the water into wine.
All three of these miracles reveal who Jesus is.
All three make known something unique about how Jesus manifested his glory among us.
All three reveal Jesus had made an appearance as one of us and for us.
Unfortunately, I put away our Christmas decorations at a speed that would have impressed the Grinch. Now, I'm wishing that I didn't. Instead of seeing it as just another task, it could have been a beautiful and intimate moment that gave Christ glory and did something good for my soul. How much more meaningful would that have been?
So as you go about your day, spend some time contemplating who Jesus is. Spend some time thinking about those three miracles. Read through them. Pray through them. Maybe even take your tree outside and burn it.
Happy Epiphany!
Does your church observe Epiphany?
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