Christmas is Love in Action

By Marjorie F. Eddington

Categories: Expressing God, Family and Friendship, Jesus' Birth, Jesus' Commandment - To Love as He Loved, Relationships

We know that Christmas is not about commercialism or material gifts, no matter what the world would try to say. We know that Christmas celebrates the birth of the prophesied Messiah. We know the Nativity stories. We know that Christmas is about Christ Jesus.

And … it’s about us, too. It’s about allowing the Christ into our hearts to transform our lives, and then following Jesus’ example. To welcome the Christ, we:

• Open our hearts to feel the Christ-spirit within us.
• See and acknowledge the Christ-spirit in everyone.
• Feel the angels all around us keeping us safe and hear them tell us, “Fear not!”
• Yield totally to God, fully surrendering our own agendas and plans.
• Trust that no matter what our situation, there is a Christ-impelled answer that brings peace.
• Realize we’re not alone. In fact, we can’t do anything by ourselves (John 5:30), but we can do “all things through Christ which strengtheneth” us (Phil 4:13 KJV).
• Love. Above all, welcoming the Christ is being infused by Love so that every thought we have and every action we take is impelled by Love.

Christmas, therefore, is about Love in action. Love active—not partial, not judgmental, not isolated, not hidden. Once we have felt the presence of the Christ in our lives, we are under the divine imperative to act Christly, lovingly. So we love. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. And it is ever so vital right now, especially since the Herod thought that would try to kill the Christ is running rampant in our world. Love alone can nullify the goal and effects of hatred. Sometimes hatred is obvious; sometimes it wears various disguises and comes to us as our own thinking.

But the Christ-spirit dissolves hatred, which stems from fear, in all its guises. To actively love, we:

• Soften our hearts—feel empathy for others. Therefore, we don’t feel contempt for another. We refuse to look down at or exclude others for their differing views of Christianity, God, or the world.
• Are “moved by compassion” as Jesus was moved to forgive and heal. We do not wish evil on another, harbor a grudge, or seek revenge.
• Build each other up—encourage, lift others’ spirits up and out of any pit of fear, grief, or depression. We do not engage in gossip, or defile or defame an individual, spew out hatred at an opponent, or insult and demean others’ character, even on social media.
• Respect others and value their God-given natures. We refuse to label people or call them names, whether they’re in the spotlight or close to home.
• Give of ourselves—of our time, effort, skills, lives and seek to meet the needs of others. We don’t stay selfishly caught up in our own problems and needs.
• Act magnanimously and generously, knowing that the Christ-spirit is infinite, unlimited, and fully able to bring blessings to all of us. We do not engage in jealousy or envy; we don’t hoard or refuse to share; we don’t keep the Christ-message to ourselves.
• Stand strong together and show the world that the essence of Christianity is love for all, even those called enemies. We refuse to get involved in any divisive behavior that would tear us apart.
• Reverence God and maintain hope. We do not let the hatred of the Christ make us feel depressed, fearful, discouraged, or alone.

Nothing is too hard for the Christ. No mountain of pain, fear, loss, suffering is too big for the Christ to dissolve. For the Christ always finds a way, even in the darkest of times. The Christ is always there to comfort, even when comfort seems far away.

So this Christmas, let’s celebrate the Christ in our lives and share that Christ-spirit with others. It’s the only way to bring peace to a troubled world. We can be like the shepherds and the wise men who heard the angels, who followed the star, who received the Christ into their hearts, honored it, rejoiced, and shared the news with joy.