The Spirit of Christmas...

The Spirit of Christmas...

21 December 2011

RCH

 

It is the 21st of December, the shortest day and the longest night of the year.  While we are in the year 2011, I believe that some folks still have the seasonal excitement that leads up to the 25th of December.  However; this old salt Marine believes the American culture has long forgot the true "reason for the season"...  We have historical revisionist working overtime to remove every thread of our Spiritual heritage, while scratching their heads wondering why society is tearing at the seams.

I for one, am solemnly praying that God touch my heart and prick my spirit to keep the meaning of Christmas in my heart.  I pray that in this little message, He will give me the ability to articulate the True Spirit of Christmas, in a way that will challenge men and women's hearts to look farther, and love deeper than ever before.  I pray that all those that read this, would learn the lesson that God provided me through a study a while back that illuminated the Christmas Story unlike ever before.

You see, the Spirit of Christmas isn't a theory, a concept or a thing that can be explained, or worse yet, explained away.  The Spirit of Christmas was and is "a Spirit"! That's right, a Spirit, so why don't you relax and settle in and we will uncover this gem from a layman's perspective.

We read the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke, a story some 2000+ years ago, of an young teenage woman.  Her name was Mary, a young Jewish woman that through a Family arrangement for marriage, was betrothed to a gentleman named Joseph.  Mary's linage went all the way back to the Great King David, which in the validation of this story is both very important and significant.  Why, because that fact would both fulfill prophesy, and secure her baby's place as King of the World.

Mary, had a cousin named Elizabeth, and she was pregnant with another baby that would have significance in the Christian faith later down the road.  When Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant with her son John, the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary to give her news that would change her life and rock the world.  This young teenage woman, loved God, she was richly acquainted with the old testament scriptures, Mary was a Godly righteous young woman that found favor in God's eyes.  However; she was human, she was a part of the seed of Adam, as well as the linage of David.  Which would have posed a problem, in that whole original sin discussion.  BUT, God already had a plan to dismiss any claim of a sinful nature...  Hmm, much to see, much to learn...

Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bare a Son, and He would be The Savior to the world.  Now put yourself in this situation, think about the event itself, an Angelic being just manifested itself before your eyes.  Is it a dream?  Is it a mental breakdown?  Is it a thing to be easily dismissed and forgotten?  No...  There was to be an unborn Child that would manifest Himself in this woman's womb!  there would be physical, hormonal and emotional changes immediately in her life.  For any normal teenage woman, this would have undoubtedly shook them to the root of their soul, yet Mary seemed to take it in stride.  Her Love for and Faith in God, was undoubtedly her anchor.

There were several events that helped steady the reality of God's miracle in this story.  Mary visited Elizabeth's house, and there was great joy and moving of the Holy Spirit amongst them.  This had to be both comforting for Mary, and a real confidence builder for her to travel back to Nazareth.  There was also Zechariah's visit from Gabriel to announce the Christ child, too many events validated and collaborated by other folks of the time.  Mary knew to her core this was both true and real, there was no need or room for doubt, she had an important role to fill in this story as it unfolded.

But; what about that sin nature question...  How did God prevent Mary's blood line from tarnishing or traversing to the unborn child?  Well, we need to think this through.  First of all in Luke chapter one, we see an important question from Mary to Gabriel, and his uniquely awesome answer.  Luke 1:34 & 35;  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God...  THE Son of God.  Two things we take from this. 

One, God through His Supernatural Power chose to; and took action to stop the human nature from entering the Child.  Hence Catholicism teaches the "immaculate conception", in layman's terms from a Protestant's perspective, God supernaturally prevented the original sin from being any part of the equation...  In addition, the second important point is that Christ was already a person, simply put, He already totally and completely existed.  He was God's only begotten Son, He was already part of the creation process.  Therefore; there was no need for an additional father of human flesh.  Thusly, we have the supernatural conception, or I would prefer, the incarnation of Christ in a human form through Mary of Nazareth.

It is because of this God orchestrated miracle that the Savior would come to us as God and man.  By the seed of Adam all men were cursed and condemned, and by the seed of God, all men have been offered redemption.  Which brings me back to the Spirit of Christmas.  In John 4:23 & 24 we read that:  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The Spirit of Christmas was God Himself!!!  Through this young woman, God sent His Only Begotten Son, to come to this earth in obedience, ultimately to go to Calvary and lay His life down for mankind.  The lesson I learned through my study months ago, was that God set the example, He lead His followers by example.  He in all His Wisdom and Might, gave up the best that He had that first Christmas night.  God showed us the model of sacrifice from Mary's Holy conception, to Christ's first breath in that stable, to His last breath on the Cross of Calvary.

Christmas isn't only about the gift of Christ, it is about Their (Father & Son) sacrifice for us.  You are scratching your head, saying where is this guy going...  Stop and think about it folks, especially those of you with children.  What in this world, would you be willing to give up the child you have always known, to send on a mission that you know would take him or her away from you.  Not only will this mission take them from your presence physically, but it will force the ugliest vile contentious manifestations the mind could imagine and beyond upon them.  You will both endure unbelievable, unimaginable pain mentally, emotionally and physically.  Could you do it?  God Did!!!

God the Father endured physical separation from His Son, while Christ walked this earth as a man.  While He was well pleased with His Son and His obedience, on that last day on earth in human form, God had to turn His back on His Son in wrath and disgust...  For Christ took on the SIN of the ENTIRE WORLD, to which the Father had to turn away, at that point all those pains were married together as the weight of the world was bore by this Perfect Lambs body and soul.  At that moment, Christ endured Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual pain, to pay for my wretched sin.  God showed Mercy to man, He provided the Grace needed to find our way back to that cross and cover our sin in Christ's shed blood.  Through that transaction, God wraps us in His Son's Righteousness, and we become justified in His site through the Perfect Lamb's Blood Covering.

The Spirit of Christmas is that of Almighty God Himself and His dear and precious Son, Jesus Christ.  Interpreted by this layman, the spirit of Christmas is that of Sacrifice first, the gift second.  We must learn to love our fellow man through sacrifice, which God the Father and Christ the Son taught us by example.  That sacrifice is the price of the gift we offer to those we come in contact with each and every day, family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances and yes, if God leads you - strangers too.  We that worship in spirit, must be a witness of that Spirit that lives and dwells in us.  The Spirit of Christmas is CHRIST, we must place the Love and Spirit of Christ back into our Christmas...

Seek to Worship the Living God, through His all so Precious Son in Spirit and speak the Christ of Christmas this year...  For the day of reckoning is drawing nigh...  Be well, live and show the peace of Christ this Christmas, God Bless each and every one of you.                   Merry Christmas!