The Basic Christmas Spirit

As you may or may not know, I'm a pastor. As you may or may not know further still, I don't have an unlimited spiritual reservoir. I get tired. I am tired ... spiritually speaking.

I need the Lord. I guess that's how I know that I know the Holy Spirit is holding fast in my heart, filled with multiple distractions. My first mentor once said to me that one of the greatest tools the devil has at his disposal can be being busy. And ... as believers who are hard at work ... at the Lord's work ... there is much temptation to go, go, go ... without resting in God's presence in personal worship.

After all, if I take care of myself, then I'm being selfish ... right? WRONG!!!!!! There is a reason why the airlines advise parents to secure their own oxygen masks before those of their children.

In my Christmas sermon series, I've made one critical comment concerning nativity scenes. (Mostly, the criticism is not directed so much at the nativity scene themselves as at our own perceptions and conceptions.) Nativity scenes can be way too polished, often leading the observer to forget the scandal and hardship and heart ache that was that first Christmas for many of the major players.

However, one thing that I've never seen a nativity scene mess up on is the power of a moment. All nativity scenes I've ever seen (live ones excluded) have each of the characters kneeling, bowing, standing ... but all are still and quiet ... at worship before the infant King. That I believe is the moment of glory for the nativity scene. Even as I write this my heart is longing ever more to be still and quiet in worship before my King.

That, my friends, is the basic Christmas spirit. Every thing else that's good about Christmas must flow from that attitude of worship.