We are nearing the end of June, which is 6 months away from the end of December. Most people are well aware that the hype leading up to the end of December is due in large part to Christmas. But there are some things that most people do not know.
One of those is the fact that today is another important Feast Day. It is called the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. John the Baptist was exactly 6 months older than Jesus. If Jesus was the headliner, John was a very highly regarded opening act. He did what he needed to do and then Jesus eventually took over. Just like the daylight after John's birthday, he decreased. Just like the daylight after Jesus's birthday, He increased. So in this day and age, Jesus is a big name even to those who see His birthday as just the culmination of a season of excess.
This, of course, brings to mind another thing that most people do not know. Because Jesus increases from the start, it would mean that Christmas is just the beginning, and a rather humble beginning at that. In this day and age, the humble day of His birth is surrounded by excess and shameless consumerism while the ever-increasing days afterward are treated like a hangover rather than a coming of age. It's kind of backwards, isn't it? Sadly, such a culture is unlikely to change.
But what we can do right is at least give some thought about John's birthday. It's Sunday night now so it's a bit late to put something like this on your Facebook status but John's birthday comes around every year and will not stop so it would be worthy to try for next year. Before we get there though, we have another Christmas at the halfway mark. Let's try to be MORE focused on Jesus after the day itself during the Christmas Season and beyond, and less focused on the latest bells and whistles in the earlier bits of December (and late November). We may not change the culture entirely but we can at least do our part.
Luke 1: 57-66, 80
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