Christmas Spirit - by Tammy Bowman

A few days ago, I was driving my kids and a couple of their friends home from school. While listening to Christmas music on a local radio station, my 9 year old son said with a huge smile “Whenever I listen to this music I get so excited and it makes me feel so happy and I don’t why!” This prompted the other teenagers in the car to agree and begin talking about feeling excited and happy during Christmas. As much as I wanted to interrupt their conversation and explain why they are feeling this way, I didn’t. I sat silently listening to them discuss this Christmas Spirit they were all experiencing. They talked about how fun it is thinking about all the gifts they were getting and giving. They talked about the food and their family traditions. Then they talked about how people just seem to act different.

This got me thinking…

They see people acting different in a good way. They see people being extra kind, helpful, happy and excited. I usually see people acting different in a negative way. I see people who are stressed. I see people (including myself) who are tired, too busy, lonely, dealing with broken relationships, trying to people please, over eating and over spending.  Many are simply trying to survive the holidays. Many have lost their Christmas Spirit. I am committed to keeping my Christmas Spirit this year and the only way I know how to do that is to dig into Scripture.

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”

This sentence is filled with obedience, a miracle, prophecy fulfillment and hope. Mary was obedient. The miracle is a child being born to a virgin. This fulfilled God’s prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14. Hope is found in the birth of a son to be called Immanuel.  Immanuel means “God with us” and I believe that is the key to finding our Christmas Spirit. It’s really not about Christmas Spirit at all. It’s all about Immanuel, God with us! God came to earth as a baby so he could be with us…all of us! He came to earth as a baby, He was a perfect example of how to live, and He died a painful death. Then He rose from the grave for all of us! He then left us the perfect gift of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit dwells in us! This spirit is God with us!

Throughout the month of December, the excitement of Jesus’ birth is all around us. It’s on display in more places than normal. It’s on display in the stores, on the radio, on TV, at the school performances, and at government buildings. Much of the Christmas Spirit is on display in the forms of Santa Claus, Christmas Trees and Christmas presents, however, Jesus remains at the center of all these displays of Christmas cheer.  It has popped up in the form of Christ centered Christmas music played at the Mall; Christian Carols being performed in school Christmas concerts; and being the topic of conversation among many as the “reason for the season.” 

As Christians it is great to keep Christ at the forefront of the Christmas season, but it is equally important to keep him as the center of our lives throughout the rest of the year.