Finding Christ in Christmas, Part 4

Spirituality Column #215
December 21, 2010
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Finding Christ in Christmas, Part 4
By Bob Walters

I wandered away from religion as a teen and no part of college or career the next 30 years pointed me toward God, church, or Jesus.

Not that I especially wanted it to, or expected it to.

Little about secular society points us to anything resembling Truth. Do your own thing. Believe what you want. Try to do something nice for others once in a while, but look out for No. 1. Half truths, blind ignorance and personal arrogance are completely OK with Satan, the lord of this life’s shiny falsehoods.

But I’m a sucker for tradition and, church or not, when Christmas rolled around every year I was hungry for the “Spirit of Christmas” I knew so well as a child.

Presents were a minor part of it. Our feast was always Christmas Eve, during which Dad played a German recording of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Before saying grace he read the beautifully lyrical King James Version of Luke 2:1-14 …

And it came to pass … Mary was great with child … no room in the inn … firstborn son … swaddling cloths in a manger … shepherds in the field … sore afraid … multitude of the heavenly host … fear not … good tidings of great joy …

For unto you is born this day a savior ... Christ the Lord … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The first time I tried to read that to my own young family, I had a hard time finding a Bible in the house, a harder time finding the verse, and no clue why the words had changed (different Bible translation). I was in my mid-30s.

In my mid-40s I finally “got it,” the truth of that annual Christmas heart-tug.

The Holy Spirit on behalf of the Savior patiently abides – waits – and when given the chance, lights our yearning for Christ, for truth, for love. After all, that’s what God is, and our yearning for Christ grows immense because God is immense.

Satan works overtime to darken the truth of the season but I wish we would all “get it” that Jesus Christ arrived on earth and became flesh (John 1:14) to save us all (John 3:16). That’s the light of Christmas, the reason for the season.

And why not find Christ in Christmas? He’s been looking for us all along.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com, email rlwcom@aol.com) worries not when Christ was actually born, but rejoices that in fact He actually was.