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A Prayer for the Day after Christmas

     And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20 (NIV)

     Dear heavenly Father, it’s the day after Christmas, and many of us are over-stuffed, under-slept, and flat out exhausted. But above all, we’re grateful for the gift of Jesus; for our best Christmases, and our most difficult ones, all need your grace. The “after Christmas sales” began a week before the actual day, clearly signaling that we’re always yearning for a little more.

     For those of us for whom the day was “nearly perfect,” we worship you as the God from whom all blessings flow. For those of us for whom the day was a constant reminder of how much we long for the Day of all things new, we worship you as the God who has secured that very Day through Jesus.

     When the shepherds left Jesus’ manger, they were still shepherds. They still couldn’t worship at the temple; they still couldn’t give testimony in a court of law; and they were still “profiled” as untrustworthy members of the community. And a five-star inn didn’t open up the next morning in Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph, with angels serving as round-the-clock nurses.

     Father, thank you, that as followers of Jesus, we don’t have to pretend about anything. Jesus came into a broken world for broken people, and we all qualify. You call us to believe, not to make-believe–to delight in you, not to deny reality. Should we remain “shepherds” the rest of our lives in this world; you promise to give us all the grace we will need. Just keep showing us more and more of Jesus, and it will be enough.  

     Help us to live these next few days as the pace of grace. Keep us from getting in too big of a hurry to clean up the messes, put up decorations, and figure out what we’re going to do for New Year’s Eve. Free us to enjoy one another, to listen to one another’s hearts, to linger in the presence of family and friends alike. Indeed, Father, teach us how to live and love at the pace of grace. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ wonderful and merciful name. 

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