The Christmas Spirit

During the holiday season, you inevitably hear people say things like "I just can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit." It's true...we generally have certain rituals and traditions that we have to adhere to before "feeling" the spirit...Right?

For many of us, we have to hear the right music, or get the tree and lights up, or get our shopping done and the presents wrapped, and then...maybe then...we "feel" the Christmas spirit. It's like year after year, we are on a quest for a mythical beast and the wonder that we feel somehow left us in our youth.

However, do you realize that true Christmas spirit can only be found in the Spirit of God. HE IS CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. It's not some mythical feeling that is to be found in music or lights, or gifts and tinsel. It's in the very wonder of His presence that dwells within those that give their lives to Him. In John 14:16-17, Jesus declares , "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

Did you catch it? Jesus said we will know God's Spirit, which lives with us and in us and will be with us forever. So, while each year we are searching for the ever elusive Christmas spirit and the wonder it brings, the Spirit - God's Spirit, is right there with us... and in us. In fact, He never left us. He's not to be found in all of the noise and spectacle that we create, but in the very heart of the one that seeks Him.

HE IS THE REASON!

The Heart of Christmas

When it comes to worship, do you find yourself bringing an offering before God, or are you a consumer?

Throughout my years in ministry, I have had the privilege of witnessing God radically change the lives of many people. I have been amazed as I've heard story after story of God working in the lives of individuals. However, for every person I have witnessed giving their lives in worship before a holy God, I have seen countless others lose sight of what it means to truly worship Him.

In the late 1990s, Soul Survivor Church in Watford, England, home of worship leader Matt Redman, was experiencing a similar period of apathy in its worship.

“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” Redman recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”

Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

Redman says the pastor's question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually the congregation broke into a time of worship in song and heartfelt prayer, encountering God in a fresh way.

“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting."

Out of this experience, Redman penned the lyrics:

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus

During the Christmas season, we tend to get so wrapped up in the spectacle of it all. From the lights and decorations, to the presents and the shopping, we often lose focus of the true heart of the season...the majesty of God and the wonderful gift He gave us in Jesus Christ.

After the birth of Christ, the Scripture teaches that Magi, or wise men, travelled many miles to worship and lay gifts at the feet of the Savior...an offering.

It's time for the church to return to the heart of worship, to no longer be consumed with spectacle, but to simply bring an offering before a holy and majestic God.