My daughter, granddaughter, and I attended the chapel service on base a couple of Sundays before travelling to be with family for the holidays—to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised!  I admit that I did not know what to expect because there is no way of knowing whether a chaplain is actually a Christian or not—or whether their teaching is biblically centered and touched with a Holy Spirit dynamic; yet I can confirm God is alive and well represented at this Naval Air Facility!

The chaplain has been teaching a holiday themed series on the Christmas Spirit which added a new dimension to my thoughts about the Spirit (and spirits) of the holiday season.

I recently read an ad proclaiming, “Don’t let anything break your holiday spirit!” and I cannot help but wonder, “Which spirit is that?”  To be honest, it is quite easy to enumerate negatives such as misguided expectations and selfishness, greed and covetousness, conflict and competition (to name a few) that stand out; yet many, unbelievers and Christians alike, will cite joy and generosity, along with special family times, and gatherings with friends as characteristics of the holidays.

Clearly, the Christmas spirit is multi-dimensional; yet there is only one Spirit mentioned in Scripture that truly identifies this season.  “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  The account continues with Elizabeth’s response to Mary, “And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:41-45).

Even though many who are antagonistic towards Christians are working to do away with everything that suggests the entrance of the eternal God into time and human history, nothing can stop the life and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who believe that God will fulfill all that He has spoken.  For those who celebrate the holidays without Christ, the blessings and the joy will be fleeting—for it is the Holy Spirit who brings an eternal quality into the holidays, making them the Christmas season.

The grace of Christmas echoes through the ages in the angel’s proclamation, “‘Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you:  You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:10-14).

Most people are touched with the joy birthed that day; and no device of the enemy can stop the joy, peace, and goodwill that were sealed through the cross—one does not have to be a Christian to be touched by the joy and celebration of the season; however, for those who receive the gift of the Messiah, the party is just beginning!

The Holy Spirit, who came upon Mary, also enters our lives when we receive Jesus—and as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, as we are renewed in the spirit of our mind, the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) continue to grow in us.

Yet in reality, for some the holidays also hold remembrances of pain, whispers of loneliness, and disappointments much deeper than misjudged or forgotten Christmas gifts can bring—and apart from a response of faith and God’s Spirit in our hearts, bitterness can take root.  Jesus instructs His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In those times when “great joy” feels fleeting or it appears everyone else is a part of the celebration, we have the opportunity to “Take Heart!” – knowing that in Jesus, this prophecy is fulfilled, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

May we all have a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year in the Spirit of Christ!