Having The True Spirit Of Christmas

"Today's Devotion" For December 1, 2005

Read: Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 4:14-20

HAVING THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind u the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the captives, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor..." (Is. 61:1-2)

"Where's your Christmas spirit?" is a question often asked during the long, drawn-out holiday season our society commonly calls "Christmas." Most often, this question finds its basis in situations where someone is grumpy, surly, or otherwise isn't displaying the "jolly" attitude expected of everyone in spite of the stress and commotion of Christmas shopping, parties, preparations, decorating, baking, cooking, and driving from store, to store, to store, to store.....looking for that "perfect" gift. Some folks (including me) have often been accused of lacking the "Christmas spirit" because we wait until the last minute to do our "Christmas shopping." Somehow, over the years, the concept of what it means to have the "Christmas spirit" has devolved into a commercially driven idea that "just the right gift makes all the difference" and “peace on earth” means never dealing with evil or sin.

There's a sharp contrast between the commonly accepted "Christmas spirit" and the Spirit Isaiah says came upon him as a prophet of the Most High God - the Sovereign Lord. Today's "Christmas spirit" seems to drain people of their money and make them poor; the Spirit that came upon Isaiah sent him to "preach good news to the poor." Today's "Christmas spirit" often leaves people brokenhearted because they don't get what they want for Christmas or they don't have the resources to give as they might wish (we also don't want to forget those who feel guilty because they've received a gift from someone for which they didn't plan to get a gift); the Spirit that came upon Isaiah sent him to "bind up the brokenhearted" - bandage their spiritual wounds.

Today's "Christmas spirit" holds people captive to the expectations of the season determined by culture, society, custom, and the ideas of what’s “Christmassy” held by other people. That same "Christmas spirit" brings a stressful time for many and the dark spirit of depression frequently plagues many during what was and is intended to be a joyful, uplifting celebration and solemn feast in honor of God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Spirit that came upon Isaiah, however, sent him to "proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners" - to assure those who were sorry for their sins and had repented of their evil ways that God's forgiveness was theirs and they were free to worship and praise Him (this is in the context, also, of Israel's release from captivity in Babylon).

As Isaiah received "the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord" to carry out the mission of proclaiming “the year of the Lord’s favor,” so also did Jesus identify Himself with that same mission. According to Luke's account which we read today, Jesus declares that He is the fulfillment of that prophesy (v.20). He is the One who brings to the world what Isaiah was sent by the "Spirit of the Sovereign Lord" to proclaim - "the year of the Lord's favor" (Is. 61:2; Lk. 4:19). This proclamation of Jesus that "the year of the Lord's favor" is fulfilled in Him astonished those in the synagogue in Nazareth. For a brief moment they spoke highly of Him, only to turn on Him in fury and try to kill Him when He addressed their sinfulness and lack of repentance.

The true "Spirit of Christmas" isn't what our culture calls the "Christmas spirit." The true "Spirit of Christmas" is the same Holy Spirit who brings people to repentance and faith. It's the Spirit that proceeds from the Father and the Son to open the hearts and minds of people to hearing and believing the promises of God - that He loves the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son to suffer and die on the cross to take away the Sin of the world (cf. Jn. 3:16). It's the true "Spirit of Christmas" that comes to us everyday in our Baptisms and declares us to be God's redeemed and forgiven children in Jesus Christ. It's the true "Spirit of Christmas" that assures us of God's forgiveness in Christ when we receive the Lord's Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper. It's the true "Spirit of Christmas" that comes to us in the Scriptures every day and speaks to our sinful condition and brings us the promises of God and hope of eternal life.

Having the true "Spirit of Christmas," according to Isaiah and Jesus, is to seek to share God's Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Having the true "Spirit of Christmas" is to look for ways to not just tell, but show others how much we love them and, more especially, how much God loves them. The true "Spirit of Christmas" views the Christmas celebration as a solemn feast which honors Christ and seeks to put Him first in their lives. The true "Spirit of Christmas" sees the "Christmas Season" as a special time of sharing God's love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in a world that's caught up in itself, its excesses, its selfishness, its depravity, and, ultimately, in the power of Sin. What greater gift can you or I give to another than what the "Spirit of the Sovereign Lord" sends us to give - the gift of life in the proclamation of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ our Lord? Now that's what we can truly call "having the true Spirit of Christmas!"

Prayer: Father, sometimes I grow so very weary of the hustle, bustle, and hubbub of what, from the perspective of one of Your redeemed children, should be a time of celebration and a "solemn feast" in honor of the birth of Your Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What Christmas has become in this society, and often it seems, even in the church, is an exercise in excess and showiness. Too often I find myself at odds within myself - on one hand I want to hold the Christmas season holy and special in my heart and life, yet, on the other hand, I find myself feeling depressed and out of sorts because the giving of gifts, shopping for just the right things for others, has become almost obligatory, taking all the meaning and purpose out of the practice. Father, help me to face this Christmas season with the true "Spirit of Christmas" in my heart. Send Him to lead me in service to You and others in Your name, that I might, like Isaiah and Jesus, "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" to all in need of Jesus as their Savior and Lord. In His precious and most holy name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright ©2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.