In a new feature article in the December issue of Charisma Magazine Online, I had the opportunity to write about the question of what is the Christmas spirit all about? The truth is, underneath all the festivities, all of the glamor of the lights and music, if Christmas doesn’t point us back to the Holy Spirit and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then our efforts are wasted because Christmas is ultimately all about Jesus as the Savior of the world.
It was by the Holy Spirit that Mary was able to conceive Jesus and it was by the power of the Holy Spirit that John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb in Mary’s presence because Jesus was already with her. If we ignore this original point that without Jesus, without the Holy Spirit’s divine intervention into our human affairs, there would be no such thing as Christmas.
Even more than this, the Holy Spirit, unlike other holiday celebrations, is in the middle of Christmas because it is about Him, not just some manmade day to commemorate our own plans and history. The difference with Christmas is that it was divinely appointed by God, and so we should seek Him in the middle of it.
Because Christmas has His Spirit written all over it, we should use it as an opportunity to share who God is with the world. Whether that’s spending time volunteering, giving gifts and contributions to Christian organizations, spreading the gospel through evangelistic measures, sending cards of hope or by another means, this is the perfect time to share the message of God’s goodness and truth.
Unfortunately, we live in a time when Christmas has become less about the cross and more about ourselves. This however, is contrary to Scripture. Even John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30). Until Christmas is more about Jesus and less about us, it will never live up to the fullness that we need it to on a spiritual level. Until Christmas is pointing us to the person of the Holy Spirit, we will be utterly and completely misaligned with the potential that the season has for us.
When we think about all the hundreds of years of waiting, of attempts to follow the Law, of the trials and years of captivity that the Jewish people experienced before Jesus came, it puts the miracle of Christmas in perspective. God had finally answered their cry for a Savior. This should be a time that we can stand in awe and look at what God had done and His faithfulness to answer us in our time of need with so much more and above all that we could ever ask for or imagine. It’s a time to be in the presence of His Holy Spirit to say, “thank you, Abba, for all that You’ve done, are doing, and will do.”
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
Stephen Strang