The Christmas Spirit… What Is That?
* I often hear people speak about the Christmas spirit. Even though it is hard to define what exactly is meant by it, just the mention brings warmth & comfort to me.
* So, I will try to define it. I assume that when people speak of the Christmas spirit they are referring to the loving character of God dwelling in the heart of people. I believe it is the compassion that is in God as He sends His Son to be with us. I believe it is the love that springs from the heart of Jesus, reaching and transforming us into people who truly care & love for people in the same way He does - being there for the needy, the suffering, the lost…
* The Christmas spirit to me means to follow the TEACHING & THE ACTIONS of Jesus in all circumstances. With that spirit in our hearts our lives will not be directed by OUR arrogance, selfishness, or by the desire to beat others in an argument. We will not exploit others either. We will stop being belligerent. We will no longer be sarcastic or sour towards others.
* I have seen this Christmas spirit alive and well in many people - people who are giving, compassionate, caring… loving. I have seen and experienced that love emanating from many – the real, genuine Christmas spirit - I have been a recipient of such wonderful grace!
* On the other hand someone said to me, “But you are asking too much… it is just my human nature… Do you want me to deny my human nature?” My answer? Actually not my answer… It is the answer of the Baby born in Bethlehem when He was all grown up… “Yes, ‘Deny yourself… Take up your cross and follow me…’” So, yes, I WANT ALL OF US TO SACRIFICE OUR EVIL HUMAN NATURE!
* This Christmas spirit should actually be renamed and be called the “Christian spirit.” Why? Because it is to be present in all believers in Christ every day of the year!
* And then… then I think about the way we really live… reality sets in… and sometimes I just want to sit there and cry. I see Christians not living up to what Christ wants for our lives. I see Christians standing up for political parties and forgetting that the way we live in public is to be determined by Christ and His principles, not by politicians and their ideologies; I know of people getting upset about different styles of worship even when the message is clearly Christ-centered; I weep when people don’t want to sacrifice anything even when it would mean the possibility of someone being brought to Christ and being saved. There are many more examples… plenty of them, such as “I will not go to the divine worship because it is not traditional enough… because it is not modern enough…”
* “Oh pastor, you are getting too personal now! Stop it!” In my function as a shepherd I need to help people to correct what is not godly, and I do it because I love the sheep. Either we live with the Christmas (Christian) spirit or we admit that we are a bunch of spiritual babies that just want our own way to be the rule for everyone else.
* As a pastor, with the responsibility to lead the sheep, I cannot be quiet. I need to make it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings and actions of Jesus. So, please take this Christmas spirit to heart. Think about what God the Father did… what Jesus did for us to provide the opportunity to live in glory forever and then… then think about yourself… How does your thought process works; what your attitudes are; what your actions look like… Are they in harmony with Christ the Savior – the sacrificial Lamb of God? Or are they more like the old sinful nature led by Christ’s greatest enemy?
* Wouldn’t you agree that we all need a new heart, a radical transformation? A “little” adjustment will not do!
* To conclude I will quote a Bible verse that is dear to me. Here it is: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26. Will you accept this new heart… that new spirit that God wants to implant in you? PLEASE DO!
* “Lord, give me a new heart for Christmas!” Have a blessed Christmas! With love from your pastor,
Rev. Don Sonntag
* I often hear people speak about the Christmas spirit. Even though it is hard to define what exactly is meant by it, just the mention brings warmth & comfort to me.
* So, I will try to define it. I assume that when people speak of the Christmas spirit they are referring to the loving character of God dwelling in the heart of people. I believe it is the compassion that is in God as He sends His Son to be with us. I believe it is the love that springs from the heart of Jesus, reaching and transforming us into people who truly care & love for people in the same way He does - being there for the needy, the suffering, the lost…
* The Christmas spirit to me means to follow the TEACHING & THE ACTIONS of Jesus in all circumstances. With that spirit in our hearts our lives will not be directed by OUR arrogance, selfishness, or by the desire to beat others in an argument. We will not exploit others either. We will stop being belligerent. We will no longer be sarcastic or sour towards others.
* I have seen this Christmas spirit alive and well in many people - people who are giving, compassionate, caring… loving. I have seen and experienced that love emanating from many – the real, genuine Christmas spirit - I have been a recipient of such wonderful grace!
* On the other hand someone said to me, “But you are asking too much… it is just my human nature… Do you want me to deny my human nature?” My answer? Actually not my answer… It is the answer of the Baby born in Bethlehem when He was all grown up… “Yes, ‘Deny yourself… Take up your cross and follow me…’” So, yes, I WANT ALL OF US TO SACRIFICE OUR EVIL HUMAN NATURE!
* This Christmas spirit should actually be renamed and be called the “Christian spirit.” Why? Because it is to be present in all believers in Christ every day of the year!
* And then… then I think about the way we really live… reality sets in… and sometimes I just want to sit there and cry. I see Christians not living up to what Christ wants for our lives. I see Christians standing up for political parties and forgetting that the way we live in public is to be determined by Christ and His principles, not by politicians and their ideologies; I know of people getting upset about different styles of worship even when the message is clearly Christ-centered; I weep when people don’t want to sacrifice anything even when it would mean the possibility of someone being brought to Christ and being saved. There are many more examples… plenty of them, such as “I will not go to the divine worship because it is not traditional enough… because it is not modern enough…”
* “Oh pastor, you are getting too personal now! Stop it!” In my function as a shepherd I need to help people to correct what is not godly, and I do it because I love the sheep. Either we live with the Christmas (Christian) spirit or we admit that we are a bunch of spiritual babies that just want our own way to be the rule for everyone else.
* As a pastor, with the responsibility to lead the sheep, I cannot be quiet. I need to make it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings and actions of Jesus. So, please take this Christmas spirit to heart. Think about what God the Father did… what Jesus did for us to provide the opportunity to live in glory forever and then… then think about yourself… How does your thought process works; what your attitudes are; what your actions look like… Are they in harmony with Christ the Savior – the sacrificial Lamb of God? Or are they more like the old sinful nature led by Christ’s greatest enemy?
* Wouldn’t you agree that we all need a new heart, a radical transformation? A “little” adjustment will not do!
* To conclude I will quote a Bible verse that is dear to me. Here it is: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26. Will you accept this new heart… that new spirit that God wants to implant in you? PLEASE DO!
* “Lord, give me a new heart for Christmas!” Have a blessed Christmas! With love from your pastor,
Rev. Don Sonntag