As the year winds to a close, I'm wondering how long the lights of Christmas will shine.

For many Christmas is just about done. The leftovers have been picked over, and one or two of the new toys have already broken. Come Sunday, the lights will be plucked from houses and packed away until next Thanksgiving.

Technically, Christmas is not over until the Feast of the Epiphany until January 6. Yet most families in this town shut off the lights before noon on January 1. When our family moved to St. Louis from Kansas City, we were surprised at how fast Christmas decorations vaporized on New Year's Day. We had a hard time convincing our kids that evil elves had not stolen the pretty lights and garlands. While traditions vary, most homes in Kansas City are aglow until the middle of January when the city's famous Country Club Plaza lights are dimmed.

On this side of the state, it sometimes feels as though the ornaments are packed up before the end of the Rose Parade. Are we truly anxious to leave Christmas behind?

Of course the more pressing question is not when to take down the tinsel. The more important questions concern how the light of Christmas faith will flood the dark places of the our world throughout the New Year.  The New Year will bring its share of scandals and tragedies.  It occurs to me that spending some time with portions of the less frequently read narratives of Jesus' infancy and childhood may provide a few reminders of how people of faith have  allowed the light of God to shine in the darkness-even when the old C7 bulbs no longer twinkle.

Shortly after the shepherds exit the scene in Luke's gospel, two other bit characters in the drama are introduced. As Mary and Joseph go to the temple to present their son, they run into two of Israel's elderly faithful, Simeon and Anna. As the child passes by Simeon, his ancient hands reach out to embrace the baby. In response, he offers a short prayer, now known as the "Nunc Dimittis" in Christian liturgies. As a prayer, it also forms a great benediction to Christmas:

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

It's a fitting postscript to the Christmas Eve message: "And on earth, peace." Not just for some, but for all. Not just for the strong, but also for the weak. Not only for those with power, but those whom Jesus would one day call "the least of these." Likewise, with prophetic eyes, the octogenarian Anna beholds the pint-sized Messiah and immediately begins to spread the news about the child's birth.

Another story came to my mind as I read of the efforts of State Senator Eric Schmitt to require anyone witnessing suspected acts of child abuse in Missouri to report it to authorities. Responding to the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State University, the measure would enlarge the pool of mandated reporters. But its impact is unknown. It is sad to think that we must legislate what should be considered common decency. Then I recalled Matthew's telling of the slaughter of the innocents by Herod. Abuse is nearly always wielded by the hands of the powerful against the powerless, yet the light of Christ comes to bring hope to the afflicted.

These stories do not get the attention they deserve at Christmas, in part because we're often in such a hurry to move on. Despite their elderly eyes, Anna and Simeon are able to see the light of God appearing in their midst. They became witnesses to what they had seen, bearing the light into a darkened world.

Helping that light to shine has been on my mind during as 2011 comes to a close. The day after Christmas, my 13-year old son and I headed downtown. As we drove by the Arch and under the network of bridges and underpasses, he pointed out the probable belongings of homeless persons. Suddenly, they were not just people in the shadows. They had a story to him, and had become persons who also journey in the light of Christmas faith. We both became aware of the ways we are called to help that light shine.

Soon the twinkling lights of Christmas will be gone. Yet they are a symbol of the greater hope that burns within us as we allow the reflections of God's work to be seen.