The eternal Christmas

It is December. The winds are getting colder in the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas carols are piped through the sound systems of shopping malls. Families, with children of all ages, are looking for gifts in anticipation of the festivities to come. Soon there will be family gatherings, music, and special meals.

Christmas is back. Many, however, contend that Christmas has become a commercial enterprise. Some also assert that it breeds greed and materialism by fostering an excessive interest in gift giving and receiving.

Yet commercialism does not have the power to overshadow the message of Christmas and deprive us of its blessing. Beyond commercialism, beyond the strain and stress of preparing for the holidays, the Christmas spirit is here to inspire. It is a tangible manifestation of love and caring for others, beyond that, a celebration of a love that has its origin in God.

Christmas speaks of God's blessing on His creation. It speaks of the power of light over darkness, of love over hate, of the caring of the Father and Mother of all, providing for all our needs.

The first Christmas Eve was dark, but there were stars—stars filling the sky with wonder and light. Angels were singing. Sheep were watched over. Shepherds had their fear taken away. There was a message of peace on earth—a universal message of peace for all the children of God. There was the babe born in a manger. And all his needs were met, not because the circumstances were favorable, but because God, his Father and Mother, cared for his needs.

The Bible accounts of Jesus' birth speak of the eternal Christmas that brings light to every corner of our life today. There are stars shining for us, too, and angels reminding us of a peace that cannot be taken away. God speaks to us and cares for us in tangible ways. We perceive His care as we cherish the holy stillness that surrounded the shepherds. This stillness is not just the quiet of the midnight hour; it is the peace we find in our heart when we know that the God of all goodness is infinite Spirit, and therefore ever present to guide and guard.

Just as the shepherds were guided to recognize the message of peace, just as the wise men were shown the way to the manger, and just as Joseph and Mary found accomodation and refuge for their newborn child, so the Christ-idea guides each one of us to the realization of our oneness with God. This realization brings safety and healing. It lifts our view above a material, limited perception of life to the apprehension of life as purely spiritual, always governed by the law of God, beyond the grasp of the mortal and imperfect.

Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, the eternal Christ is actively showing us the way to freedom, health, and holiness. The Christ is God's message telling each of us that we are pure and whole. Nothing can ever separate us from the healing message of the Christ.

In a Christmas sermon delivered in Chickering Hall in 1888 in Boston, Mary Baker Eddy, speaking of the influence of the Christ, said, "This idea or divine essence was, and is, forever about the Father's business; heralding the Principle of health, holiness, and immortality" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 163 ).

Day by day, as we let the Christ show us God's will, we find ourselves heir to all the goodness of the divine Father, heir to an abundant life that knows no decline. This unfolding is the eternal Christmas that brings healing, renewal, and a peace that cannot wane.

Cyril Rakhmanoff
Associate Editor