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Sometimes events are so great that they leave us in awe, wander, and amazement. We rehearse the events over and over again. As we relive the moments, a smile crawls onto our faces.

This is the scene in Luke 2:19.

  • There has been a amazing proclamation of the arrival of John the Baptist
  • Mary has given voice to an epic song regarding her son Jesus that is to come
  • Joseph and Mary have made a difficult journey to Bethlehem, found no room, and landed in a manger
  • Shepherds have been told of this amazing thing that has happened and have gone to see the child

After all of this the text says that, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

The Advent of Jesus is completed, he has indeed arrived in the world, but that doesn't cause Mary to move on. With this baby in her arms, her husband by her side, and the shepherds recounting their angelic encounter - she treasures up the past events, ponders the future prophecies about this child, and rests in it.

The Advent of Jesus is just the beginning.

In fact, the techinical season of Christmas begins on Christmas Day (Dec. 25), after which the 12 Days of Christmas commence leading the Church to the season of Epiphany. Our culture has accidentally conflated Advent/Christmas into one post-Dec. 25th season, and marketers have moved the 12 Days of Christmas to lead up to Christmas instead of leading out of Christmas.

After Christmas we are quick to move on. The Christmas music stops, the trees is thrown to the curb, and the lights are taken down.

However, it's OK to allow all that has culminated in the Advent season up to Christmas Day to create and live into a Christmas afterglow. To keep the Christmas songs playing, keep the tree ups, keep the lights on, and continue to treasure up and ponder the wander of the arrival of Jesus into the world.

Christmas Day isn't the end of the Christmas season - it's actually just the beginning of the (12-day) season.

Allow yourself to continue to take things slow and live into the Christmas-ness of the season.