The Ghost of Christmas Past

So, that's it; done and dusted for another year. Take down the lights and put the decorations away in the attic, dispose of the tree. Now, it's just the long, dark haul to Easter and Spring.

But, hey! Not so fast. Today is Epiphany, the day the Wise Men came to Jesus. It is not quite all over yet. 

Why did they come? Because they saw the star in the east and, travelling west following the star, they came eventually to the place where Jesus was, as the Good Book says.

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.   TS Eliot. The Journey of the Magi

And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect

Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.    UA Fanthorpe. BC - AD

That's it: 'straight into the kingdom of heaven'. The Wise Men came to see Jesus and they were changed for ever. 

It can be the same for us. 

Here's the secret: keep Christmas inside you, store it up where nobody else can see, put it in the attic of your heart and - this is the paradox - everybody will know, everybody will see, because your live will be changed for ever from within, imperceptively, unmistakably. That's what the kingdom of heaven does for you. Remember Scrooge?

"Are you the Spirit, sir, whose coming was foretold to me?" asked Scrooge.
"I am."
The voice was soft and gentle. Singularly low, as if instead of being so close beside him, it were at a distance.
"Who, and what are you?" Scrooge demanded.
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."
"Long Past?" inquired Scrooge: observant of its dwarfish stature.
"No. Your past."

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. Come to Jesus with the Magi. Be changed.

 You can find more about Epiphany here and here