I love that song of the season that says, “We need a little Christmas right this very minute.”
Those words express the universal longing of the human heart. It’s not a longing for more parties, decorations, gifts, lights, or holiday hassles, but rather for love, joy, and peace for ourselves and for this warring world of ours.
What we really need is the true spirit of Christmas. This is the Spirit of Christ himself — the Spirit that makes us right with God, with others, and with ourselves.
According to the Biblical worldview, we are estranged from this Spirit until we invite it into our lives. This happens when we are converted to Christ, but our ongoing spiritual health depends on whether it happens every day.
The Christmas season presents us with a wonderful opportunity for reflection. We can ask ourselves how close or far away we are from the Spirit of Christ, and we can choose to seek that Spirit more intentionally than we have before.
The prophet Isaiah tells us that, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” In the midst of the busyness of this season, don’t miss the opportunity to encounter the light of Christ anew.
This Sunday, our focus will be on finding ourselves in the Christmas story. I hope you will share this special Christmas service with all of your friends at Community Church of Providence. We look forward to seeing you!
In Advent expectation,
Evan Howard,
Minister