The Christmas Benign

Awww the Christmas season. The cheery, wondrous, delightful and enchanting time of year. We all gather together our most endearing and express our "love" and thanks for each other with gifts and filling grub.

But what is it that gives everyone that sense of uncontainable and overflowing joy. Everyone seems to have a mystic aura of forgiveness and kindness about them...Certainly a far cry from that of the classic disposition amongst society. Grumbling, grouchy, grudging, gripers many of us can be. But let's try and shine a little light on these "Bells of Joy-a-Jingling" within us.

We wonder...Is it the laughing children? The falling snow flakes and hanging mistletoe? Something in the autumn spices, hot cocoa and sudden appearance of mouth watering appetizers and plump treats? Perhaps the dazzling lights strewn across yards and houses or maybe something about the smell of freshly cut Christmas trees? Certainly it's nothing of the chilling whip of frigid winter winds-- that penetrates even the thickest of coats, the barren trees, higher heating bills and shorter periods of sunlight. And if not these, what is it?

I believe it is something of divinity. Something of eternity predating the dawn of man, even the dawn of time. Something found in the image of God and mirrored in the image of Christ Jesus. It's the seed of selfless "love" planted deep within us. A vital fragment of our Creator that compels us, moves us and leaves us yearning for his mystical fulfillment.
So if God is fulfilling, what draws him near? I think this verse gives us a clue...

"...Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." - Romans 13:9,10

We must Love the Lord our God and keep his commandments, largely, by loving others. After all, if we cannot learn to love each other, how much more can we learn to love God?

"...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." - Luke 10:27

So after a long year of worldly onslaught and the dulling gossip piling in and smothering our spirit, everyone's looking to pour a little water on that inner seed (whether they know it or not). To let it grow. And grow. And grow. So with the closeness of friends and family and a date of remembrance for the birth of our Lord, many of us have an outer shell to shake off; Whether it be apathy, spite, sternness or simply snow, it’s best remedy is cheer, openness, fellowship, a warm fire and the word of God.

“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” –Isaiah 60:3
“…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” – John 8:12

So is it the cinnamon, cocoa, pumpkin or chocolate pie, snow, lights, color, trees, warmth, laughter and everything else? Or is it the long buried Love of the world outpouring and our God drawing nearer. Well, I'll let you decide for yourselves...


Merry Merry Christmas! :)