Christmas Spirit

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:1-6

This is a powerful story, with profound implications. Imagine what the coming season would be if our contemporary neo-Herodians  were actually successful in removing the Christ out of Christmas. What indeed? 

As one who has known Christmas both with and without Christ, trust me when I  tell you it would make all of the difference in the world. 

Remove The Christ and I contend that we remove the elements of the season that are most meaningful, including:

·         Anticipation

·         Foreshadowing

·         Drama

·         Compassion

·         Ritual

·         Transcendence

·         Meaning

·         Beauty

·         Redemption

Without His story, life, example and Spirit, we have just another empty winter festival… a corpse without a soul.  Indeed, one need not probe deeply to determine that it is because of His Spirit that we connect this season with generosity, compassion, altruism, caring, family and peace. It is because of His incorporation into the narrative of the season that we celebrate the very things that are most meaningful and compelling.

A friend of mine once commented that it seems that at Christmas the world actually reflects on “the way things ought to be”. People should not be lonely at Christmas. There should not be fighting/poverty/hunger/hatred at Christmas. There should be goodwill at Christmas. People should care at Christmas. Families should love each other at Christmas… etc. There is a juxtaposition between the is and the ought.

Where does this seasonal imperative, the sense of “oughtness”,  come from?  Where, indeed?

Be assured it did not come from the Roman feast of Saturn that once occurred on the same date. It did not come from the pagan rituals of northern Europe. And it does not arise from the culture of the office party, or of Christmas radio programming. It is ground into the biblical narrative of the generous, gracious God who has given this undeserving world the ultimate GIFT, at an unimaginable cost to Himself.

This Gift, and the generosity of The Father who gives it, changes everything.