Well, probably it should but human nature means that we are pretty resistant to anything that takes us out of our comfort zone and challenges us to re-evaluate our lives and attitudes. Happily, in the Church we are given this period throughout January to reflect upon what the incarnation means for us; to explore how we are challenged by the birth of Jesus and the events around it. That starts now with the feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is all about the universality of Jesus Christ. It reveals that God's love is for all people in all times and places and not just for some. This means that if God's love is for all our relationship with other people will be challenged by that love. How do we respond to people we dislike, or of whom we disapprove?
Epiphany is followed quickly by the feast of the Baptism of Christ. This feast gives us the opportunity to consider the nature of Christ's authority and calling. The voice that is heard as he is baptized acclaims him as God's Son, the one in whom God is pleased. This challenges us to dare to take Jesus as the exemplar for the sort of life that wants to lead. How should we follow the example of Jesus in our lives?
Then we are presented of the story of the wedding in Cana of Galilee – a traditional gospel story used during the season after Epiphany. Here we see Jesus exercising authority over the physical world in what appears almost a trivial setting – he's only providing wine for a wedding feast. But here we are challenged to confront what it means to us that Jesus the provider of new wine, and not just enough new wine, but wine in abundance, gallons and gallons of the stuff. If God's love is as limitless as this story suggests we are challenged to turn our lives around in such a way as not to restrict God's love. We need to ask ourselves, “How can I make God's abundant love a reality for those around me?”
We don't need to unchallenged and unchanged by Christmas. We can let it make a difference – if we want to!