Most of us, on the day after Christmas, have a MESS to clean up. (Some of us just ignore it and go shopping—Hey, it’s BOXING DAY! And after Christmas, we all need more stuff, right?!) Truth is, the messes after Christmas vary in size and shape. For some it’s just wrapping paper and leftovers; involves bills we need to pay for the presents we gave. For others—it’s emotional; there’s a build-up to Christmas—and then a let-down.
In our greater story, the mess after Christmas involved Herod and the political powers out to kill off any threats to His power. It involved Mary and Joseph resolving the mess that, in Nazareth, still looked like pregnancy out of wedlock—a scandal. What we see, though, is this pattern – that brings hope! God cares about our messes, he knows the future! No weapon formed against you will prosper…He won’t let it happen.