A Right Christmas
Now that we’re two weeks into the Advent season, it seems a good time for a spiritual check-in on the whole matter of Christmas. Did the carol leave a few other things out? How are we keeping the main thing the main thing? Are we dreaming of a Right Christmas?
Christ came to this earth as one of us, and therefore knows every struggle we face, or will ever face. Our Heavenly Father sent us His very best gift when He sent His son as a human being. Knowing such love compels those who believe to seek His will for their lives in return, as He brings about the growth of spiritual fruit and the joys that come from walking each day with Him.
Perhaps the best instructions of how we ought to celebrate Christmas are found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. They work well for the other eleven months of the year, also:
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold… 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -Ephesians 4:25-32
These are tall orders we can’t tackle alone. But there’s good news: we don’t have to. God, in His infinite mercy and by His limitless grace, sent His son to die for us – and therefore forgives us all our sins. We serve a God who is all about second chances. As we seek to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other as God forgave us, we receive yet another gift – the gift of bearing the fruits of the Spirit.
May Christ’s birth, and our response, be at the forefront of our minds each day as we now begin the second half of our journey to the foot of the manger. That’s what a Right Christmas is all about.
In His grip, Christopher Reed
