Reflecting God's Gift

Spirituality Column #113
January 6, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) Newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) Newspaper

Reflecting God’s Gift
By Bob Walters
Book available at Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

We are nearly through Christmas, a gift-giving season when people reflect on Jesus Christ more than any other time of year.

I say “nearly” because the Orthodox (Greek, Russian, Eastern, etc.) Christmas (Julian calendar) is actually tomorrow, Jan. 7. Fans of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” know that yesterday or today, depending on which Christian part of the world you’re in, is the “Twelfth Day of Christmas.”

Today, Jan. 6, marks the start of the ecclesiastical season of Epiphany (Gregorian calendar), celebrating the Magi’s visit to the child Jesus and thereby manifesting Christ to the gentiles (a very big deal … it meant Jesus came for all mankind).

Feel free to Google any of these terms if you care to ingest a larger dose of church history and ecclesiastical tradition. Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians all agree on Christ’s position as Son in the Father-Son-Spirit Trinity, but – even congregation by congregation – take vastly different approaches to doctrine, worship, salvation and church organization.

Christianity can look very confusing from the outside; shoot … it can look very confusing from the inside. Yet many of us arrive at a point where faith overrides confusion, and for that we must thank the Holy Spirit.

Especially at Christmas we Christians love to say “Jesus Christ is” this or that: He is Truth, Love, Hope, Joy, Mercy, Salvation, the Way, Light, Good Shepherd, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, etc. Then we harshly judge and/or argue with those who simply look at us and say, “I don’t understand.”

If there is one thing we should know as Christians it’s that our actions are our real witness, not our words. “No one is argued to faith,” Cal Thomas wrote recently.

As badly as we may want to provide an understanding of Christian faith to others, we can no more do that by ourselves than provide salvation. Helping us understand our faith is the Holy Spirit’s job; Salvation is Christ’s job.

And this is true: We can’t, won’t understand Christ until we involve the Holy Spirit.

When Christmas is over, many people stop reflecting on Jesus. Believers should make it a point every day to be a reflection of Jesus that will make others ask the Holy Spirit to awaken understanding inside of them.

That understanding is a gift God provides every day of the year.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) isn’t missing his own advice about words … that’s why these columns are short.