"Day After Christmas"

 ‘Twas the day after Christmas,

And all through the place,

We undecorated,

And without a trace,

The lights were all boxed up,

The ornaments hid,

We got back to normal,

That’s just what we did.

And yes all the presents,

Were fun to enjoy,

Especially the young ones,

Who had a new toy,

But most of the rest,

Of us determined to do,

The next chore assigned us,

Or at least we tried to.

And I will admit it,

I always grieved some,

That Christmas left quickly,

So slow it had come.

And I wished it could linger,

And that it would stay,

And not that it happened,

Just on one day.

I slept on that evenin’,

And I had me a dream,

And I gotta tell you,

It really did seem,

Like I was with Jesus,

Who came right in the door,

He really surprised me,

What was he there for?

We sat at the table,

And had a good talk,

Drank us some coffee,

And then took a walk.

And what he explained,

In the dream on that day,

That Christmas should never,

Just go away.

And that’s cause His presence,

And all of His love,

Didn’t just come to us,

One day from above,

But always and ever,

We could celebrate,

Joy to the world,

Did not have to wait.

I woke up next morning,

And went out to feed,

The horses and cattle,

Gave ‘em all what they need.

And thought as I did it,

The Lord does this, too,

Grace that’s sufficient,

He gives me and you.

Don’t grieve about Christmas,

‘Cause the tree is took down,

Or the lights are all packaged,

And no presents around.

‘Cause each day is a present,

That the Good Lord will give,

The great joy of Christmas,

 We get each day we live.

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it…” (Psalm 118:24, NIV)

Every day is a gift from God, and every day is a fresh opportunity to receive His grace. The Psalmist is prophetically writing about the day of redemption. But the rejected cornerstone is a person, not limited by any one event. Yes, Jesus was born and lived and ultimately died on the cross and rose from the dead. And each moment holds a special place in our salvation history. But the preeminent reality is that the living Christ is with us and in us everyday. Every day is a new gift to celebrate His grace.

Lord, help us celebrate the gift of today and everyday, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.