The Christmas Aftermath | Pastor Josh Blevins

After Christmas, the aftermath is neither sentimental nor simple; it is a theological frame that refuses to pretend pain vanishes with carols and lights. The reflection opens with a vivid personal moment of sudden suffering that prompts searching prayer and a received assurance: “I love you… I’m for you… I’m with you.” From there the narrative moves to a careful recalibration of expectations—Christmas does not promise the end of trouble but the arrival of God inside it. The incarnation is presented not as a quaint nativity scene but as a deliberate invasion into hostile territory: light exposing darkness and provoking the enemy’s fiercest resistance.

The first Christmas, alongside angelic joy, carried Herod’s brutal retaliation—an example that divine arrival can trigger intensified evil, not its immediate removal. Yet that resistance does not erase the decisive reality announced in Scripture: Christ came to dismantle sin’s dominion, to disarm spiritual rulers and to destroy the works of the devil. Victory, therefore, is both accomplished and not yet consummated; like a decisive beachhead in warfare, the decisive blow guarantees the outcome while the conflict continues until final consummation. This tension reshapes suffering: affliction gains meaning, death loses ultimate finality, and pain becomes enfolded within a larger redemptive story.

The practical implication is urgent and communal. The church is not called to passive consolation but to active advance—praying, speaking truth, offering sacrificial love, and engaging spiritual realities with spiritual weapons. These practices aim to bring hope where despair reigns, to counter lies with gospel truth, and to absorb hostility with redemptive love. The aftermath of Christmas thus becomes the arena for the kingdom’s advance: a season to grieve honestly, to anchor hope in an accomplished victory, and to commit collectively to moving forward into the broken places with courage, unity, and the confidence that the devil’s works are living on borrowed time. As the congregation steps into the new year, the charge is to be deployed rather than defeated, carrying the presence of the incarnate King into every shadowed corner.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Presence, not pain's absence Christmas does not promise that suffering will stop at the manger; it promises that God will be present within the suffering. Presence transforms pain from meaningless chaos into an arena where God’s character, comfort, and purposes are revealed. Holding to God’s nearness honors reality without minimizing grief, allowing hope to coexist with honest lament. [12:02]
• 2. Victory secured, struggle persists The decisive work of Christ has already struck the enemy, yet full consummation remains future, creating an "in-between" where resistance intensifies. This means current hardship can be both real and temporary, viewed through the lens of assured final victory. Living in that tension cultivates endurance, patient faith, and a refusal to confuse ongoing conflict with ultimate defeat. [24:08]
• 3. Incarnation confronts evil directly God’s entrance into history was strategic and combative: Christ came in the flesh to dismantle the devil’s systems, not merely to comfort. This reframes suffering as part of a battlefield where God is actively working toward reversal, redemption, and liberation. Understanding the incarnation as confrontation empowers prayerful, courageous engagement rather than passive resignation. [18:56]
• 4. The church advances God’s victory Believers are placed inside contested space to be agents of redemption—through prayer, truth-telling, sacrificial love, and unified witness. The task is not to escape the broken world but to bring resurrection power into it, countering despair with concrete demonstrations of gospel life. Such advance requires spiritual weapons, communal resolve, and strategic compassion. [31:07]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:13] - Opening and greetings
• [00:59] - Sudden suffering and ER visit
• [04:17] - Three words from God
• [07:24] - The rhythm of Christmas and aftermath
• [14:20] - Herod's retaliation and real cost
• [18:56] - Why the incarnation confronts evil
• [23:11] - Victory secured, war continues
• [29:17] - Church commissioned to advance
• [37:21] - Moving forward in victory

Bible reading

1 John 3:8
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Matthew 2:16–18
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”

Colossians 2:15
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Observation questions

1. According to 1 John 3:8, what was the specific, destructive purpose for which the Son of God was manifested?
2. In the account of Matthew 2:16–18, what was the immediate "aftermath" of the first Christmas for the families living in Bethlehem?
3. When facing unexpected suffering or a "ground zero" moment in life, what are the three specific assurances God provides to his children? [04:33]
4. How does Colossians 2:15 describe the current status of spiritual "rulers and authorities" following the work of Christ?

Interpretation questions

1. The arrival of the light of the world often provokes a fierce reaction from the darkness. Why might the manifestation of God’s Son trigger an intensification of evil rather than its immediate removal? [18:13]
2. If Christ has already "disarmed" the powers of darkness, why does the world still experience the "sting of sin" and the "fallenness" of a broken world? [09:07]
3. The "D-Day" analogy suggests a victory that is secured but not yet fully consummated. How does living in this "in-between" time explain why believers still face fierce spiritual battles even though the war's outcome is certain? [23:11]
4. Tragedy is inevitable in a fallen world, but because of the incarnation, it is not final. How does the presence of God within suffering transform pain from "meaningless chaos" into something redeemable? [17:52]

Application questions

1. Christmas doesn't promise the absence of pain, but the presence of God within it. [12:02] When you face a moment where your hopes for healing or resolution are delayed, how do the words "I am with you" change your perspective?
2. It is easy to romanticize the Christmas story and "sanitize the narrative" to make it feel safe and tranquil. [13:10] In what ways have you tried to "sanitize" your own walk with God to avoid the reality that we are living on a battlefield?
3. The church is called to be "deployed rather than defeated" as we move into a new year. [38:32] What is one "shadowed corner" in your neighborhood, workplace, or family where you can actively carry the light of the Gospel this week?
4. Spiritual warfare often manifests as "patterns of dysfunction," "digital distraction," or "lies about identity." [29:44] Which of these "works of the devil" feels most pressing in your life right now, and what spiritual weapons—like prayer or the Word of God—are you using to resist them?
5. We are co-laborers and "agents of the kingdom" rather than just spectators of a victory. [31:07] How can our small group move from "passive consolation" to "active advance" in supporting one another through seasons of grief or struggle?
6. The delay in Christ’s final justice is an act of mercy, as God is still pleading with a rebellious world to find life in Him. [26:34] How does this truth help you stay patient and prayerful for the people in your life who still resist the hope of Christ?