RELIGION: The Spirit of Christmas

You've seen them. Many stories about the spirit of Christmas – perhaps hundreds – flood the airwaves this time of year. But what is the spirit of Christmas?

The ghost of Christmas past is a character in Charles Dickens' 1843 story titled "A Christmas Carol." The ghost appears to the lonely Ebenezer Scrooge on the night before Christmas. Scrooge sees his past, how he became a miserable wretch, and is offered a chance of redemption.

I like this story but does it define the "spirit of Christmas"?

What about the ghost of Christmas present? This spirit portrays what is considered the central theme of the Christmas ideal--generosity, goodwill and celebration. Appearing on a throne surrounded by food, the jovial spirit evokes thoughts of prosperity, drinking and merriment.

Okay, but what about the ghost of Christmas future? This apparition convinces Scrooge that the true spirit of Christmas is found in the joy that comes from giving to others and celebrating together and there is no better time to start changing his life than at Christmas. This ghost also presents fear and death, and convinces Scrooge that if he doesn't adjust his attitude, doom awaits him and everyone else will celebrate his death.

Old Ebenezer changed his attitude but was it related to the spirit of Christmas?

The following are several well-known quotes about Christmas.

1. "Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling." – Edna Ferber

2. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." – Will Ferrell

3. "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year." – Charles Dickens

4. "I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense and the familiar climax and ending." – Fred Rogers

5. "Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It's discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values." – Thomas S. Monson

6. "Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas." – Dale Evans

7. "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness." – Bob Hope

8. "Christmas is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future." – Agnes M. Pahro

9. "A good conscience is a continual Christmas." – Benjamin Franklin

10. "Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day." – Helen Steiner Rice

11. "We are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime." – Laura Ingalls Wilder

If you have time, read each of the above 11 statements again – slowly. Each statement talks about positive thinking, a feeling or about being kind to others. But not one of them addresses the Spirit of Christmas.

Pastor David Jeremiah got right to the point when he said, "All the Christmas presents in the world are worth nothing without the presence of Christ."

The Bible tells us in Luke 1:30-35, "The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.'"

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (NIV)

So it is clear that the Spirit of Christmas is the Lord, Jesus Christ. And the word "Christmas" refers to a meeting to honor Christ – Christ's mass.

Merriment without Jesus in our life is hollow and there is no redemption, salvation or permanent change of heart and mind without interacting with Jesus.

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confidence through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

Rejoice in the Spirit of Christmas.

- S. Eugene Linzey is an author, mentor and speaker. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his web site at www.genelinzey.com.