I was talking to someone today about how he always thought that the “Twelve Days of Christmas” had something to do with Advent. That all of that “partridge in a pear tree” stuff was all a count down to Christmas Day. But he had learned this year that the 12 days of Christmas are the days *from* Christmas to January 6th, the Celebration of Epiphany.

As he kept on reflecting, he talked about how to most people Christmas is the end. Our cultural celebration of Christmas starts way before Advent, even perhaps before Thanksgiving if you go by the retail standard. Even if you’re slightly more conservative and start your Christmas celebration at the beginning of Advent – that’s still about a month of Christmas. It could be that after December 25th, we’re just tired of Christmas and we’re ready for it to stop.

But the liturgical season of Christmas goes on. It goes all the way up to January 6th which means that this year we get 2 Sundays that are in the Christmas season (here lately we’ve only been getting one). Christmas continues. And I think there’s something of a lesson for us to learn in the continuance of Christmas.

When the Bible writes about Christmas, explaining to us Jesus’ birth, it doesn’t stop there. Instead, all of the Gospel writers go to a specific point – the Resurrection. Christmas is important. Jesus being born into our world is great news. But it is only great news because He continued on. He continued on to teach, to heal, to commission disciples, and finally to die and rise again. And Christmas continues in Him as He continues on at the right hand of the Father.

So today, remind yourself that Christmas continues. It continues in Jesus’ story. And it continues in yours.