Christmas Hangover

A CHRISTMAS HANGOVER

The Sunday after Christmas always feels a bit like the morning after the night before as we go around with an enormous Christmas hangover.

I am not suggesting that we necessarily feel like the person described by the author of the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament when he writes:

"Who has woe? who has sorrow?

who has strife? who has complaining?

who has wounds without cause?

who has redness of eyes?

those who linger late over wine,

those who keep trying mixed wines.

Do not look at the wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

At the last it bites like a serpent,

and it stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things.

You will be like one who lies

down in the midst of the sea,

like one who lies on the top of a mast.

'They struck me', you will say,

'But I was not hurt;

they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?

I will seek another drink' " (Proverbs 23.29-35)

As I said, I am not suggesting that we feel like that, even though it may bring back memories of a mis-spent youth.

Nevertheless the Sunday after Christmas always feels a bit empty as we recall the good time we have had over Christmas.

Just as we must wash up the glasses of the party from the night before, even though we may not feel like it, so we must start thinking about taking down the Christmas decorations and putting them away for next year.

A few days of escapism; of eating and drinking; of laughter and merriment; of Father Christmas and angels, of mince pies and reindeer must come to an end. The Christmas party cannot go on for ever. We know we must prepare to return to normality. Back again to the real world.

But my friends, must all good things come to an end? Why cannot the memory of Christmas become a reality? As we stand on the threshold of another new year, do we really have to put the experience of Christmas away in a box in the loft for another year?

Consider again the shepherds of the Christmas story. They took their gifts to the Christ child at Bethlehem. They stood and looked upon that child with awe and wonder. And when they returned to their sheep in the fields, they were "glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard".

Life could never be the same again because of what they had seen and heard. They returned with the message

of Christmas burning in their hearts.

Can we not be like them? Can we not return from the Christmas celebration with a Christmas message burning in our hearts? Can we not keep alive what we have seen and experienced over the celebration of this past Christmas?

I suggest the message of Christmas which we have glimpsed and experienced can be summed up in five simple words - peace, forgiveness, generosity, concern, and the worship of God.

Peace. Most of you may have heard how on Christmas Day, during the First World War, the fighting stopped on the fields of Flanders. Both the Germans and the allies walked towards each other into the no mans land which separated the opposing forces. There they greeted one another, shook hands, exchanged gifts and sang carols as they celebrated the birth of the Prince of Peace.

We may not have been at war with one another, but at Christmas time, there is often a temporary peace between rival factions in family and church life. Let us strive to make that temporary peace a permanent peace.

Forgiveness. As families have come together in the past few days, Christmas greetings and personal letters and cards have been exchanged. We have found it within ourselves to be able to forgive one another for wrongs and hurts previously committed. If we are really sincere, let us make the offering and acceptance of forgiveness one of the

hallmarks of our lives throughout this coming year.

Generosity. Just as the shepherds and the magi showed their love towards Jesus by the giving of gifts, so we have demonstrated our love towards one another by the giving and receiving of gifts this Christmas time. The Christmas spirit enables even the most cautious to be generous. May that capacity to be generous be present not only at

Christmas but on every day throughout the coming year. Generous not only with our money but also with our time and in the use of our gifts in the service of others.

Concern. As we recall that Mary and Joseph had nowhere to lodge to give birth to Jesus, Christmas has become a traditional time for thinking about and helping those who are homeless - the refugees, the asylum seekers, the down-and-outs, and those who, often through no fault of their own, have no roof over their heads. Likewise, our attention is also focused upon children - those who are unloved and unwanted, those who suffer physical and emotional cruelty. But you don't need me to remind you that homeless people and deprived children are with us every day of the year and not just at Christmas.

Finally the worship of God. People who have no time for God at other times of the year often find themselves at church at Christmas time. Somehow Christmas seems to be incomplete without attending Church. While such attendance is obviously to be welcomed it is surely a mockery if God is ignored for the rest of the year.

Christmas does not need to be followed by a Christmas hangover. It can be followed by a New Year spillover. A spillover of peace, forgiveness, generosity, concern and the worship of God. A spillover into the days ahead so that Christ is born anew, not just on Christmas Day but every day of the coming year.