During the  Christmas season, the news is full of inspiring stories about the kindness and generosity that people express toward those who are in need. But the Christ—the spiritual idea Jesus presented to humanity—isn't really like Santa Claus, making a brief appearance and then leaving for another year. One of the things I love about the Christ is that it is with all of us, no matter where we live, all of the time.

Not too long ago, an American friend of mine who has spent the last several years in a remote part of Malawi asked me pointedly if and how I prayed for Africa. I responded that I did pray for that continent, and often for individual nations, as particular problems appeared in the news. In these prayers I remembered that Christ was there, revealing the love that God has for us, guiding those nations and all people in their search for spiritual truth. My friend was glad that I prayed that way, because, he said, too many people wanted to take Christ to Africa instead of recognizing and respecting the fact that Christ is already there.

I was glad that I'd passed his test. Earlier in my life I would not have. When I was a child, the pastor of our church, who had just completed a term as a missionary in Africa, spent a weekend in our home. I was thrilled by his experiences, and for several years afterward, I wanted to go to that continent and convert Africans to Christianity. I never followed through on that desire, and I was left with a haunting fear that there were people who did not know of God's great promises of salvation.

As my understanding of Christ matures, however, I have come to see that God speaks His message of Love to all people in all lands and has done so throughout all history. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy explains: "The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is without beginning of years or end of days. Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spiritual idea,—the reflection of God,—has come with some measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive Christ, Truth. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets caught glorious glimpses of the Messiah, or Christ, which baptized these seers in the divine nature, the essence of Love" (p. 333).

The fact that Christ is and always has been available to humankind takes nothing away from our celebration of Jesus' birth. His healing ability, his teachings, and his resurrection from the dead give great insights into God's promises. These are not vague or empty; nor are they promises relevant only in a future world. They are promises that there can be peace, health, and joy on earth—right now.

Today, when peace seems far from a possibility in so many parts of the world and broken promises litter the landscape, the message of Christmas offers renewed hope. The beautiful story of a baby born to a virgin and placed in a manger, prophesied by wisemen and heralded by a chorus of angels, lifts the heart to see beyond wars and broken earthly promises. Perceive even a little of the spiritual power behind what Jesus later accomplished, and you're able to catch glimpses of Christ that literally transform human experiences.

Christmas holds out the promise that we can do better and gain more control over our lives. Christmas reminds us that God's purpose for all of us is progress and growth through a fuller understanding of His genuine goodness and love.

From the Bible's comments about Jesus, it's easy to see that he loved children (see Matt. 19:13,14). Children have a natural awareness of their own spirituality. They are often receptive to God's message that He loves them—and all of us. This message goes far deeper than "Better be good, Santa Claus is coming to town." It opens them up to healing, in small ways and large.

A mother told me about an incident that occurred one Christmas and took a different turn from what she had expected. Her little daughter sucked her thumb long after other children had given it up.

The mother was concerned. An article she'd read said that sucking might affect the straightness of a child's teeth, and even stated that seeking satisfaction from having something in one's mouth could be a precursor to cigarette smoking.

When the girl started school, she was weaned away from thumb-sucking in the daytime. But even though she tried, she couldn't go to sleep without her thumb in her mouth. The article that had alarmed her mother also gave some suggestions on how to break the habit. One was to give the child a large stuffed animal—so large that if she held it in her arms, her hand couldn't reach her mouth.

That Christmas they gave her a toy like that, and apparently apparently it worked. The thumb-sucking stopped.

Some time later, however, her mother discovered that what had truly healed her daughter had been love—her parents' love for her that she'd perceived through their giving this gift. The child told her mother that she really could have reached around the stuffed animal. But she'd reasoned that if her mom and dad had spent all that money to buy such a large toy in order to help her, she would try to help herself.

The mother said this conversation really opened her eyes. She'd been seeing her daughter as just a helpless little girl, but the child's mature reasoning indicated that much more was going on. She understood now that her daughter had her own relationship with God—through Christ, which is "without beginning of years or end of days."

She also learned that the innocence portrayed by the baby Jesus is a redeeming influence in our own lives. Too often we focus so much on the demands of the holiday season that we forget the ultimate gift: Christmas itself. Isaiah's prophecy, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" (9:6), implies that Jesus' life and example on earth constitute a gift that is truly satisfying to people of all ages.

Toward the end of his days on earth, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). There has been speculation about what Jesus meant by "greater works," but his achievements are well documented. Bible readers know that those works included healings of many kinds.

Today, when people are encountering broken promises resulting from reliance on merely conventional healing methods, they may well look at this promise of Jesus and seek healing through spiritual means, as he did. Many people, including some doctors, are studying Jesus' works in the effort to heal as he did. Spiritual healing is becoming a demand of our times.

"When the doctrinal barriers between the churches are broken, and the bonds of peace are cemented by spiritual understanding and Love, there will be unity of spirit, and the healing power of Christ will prevail" (Mary Baker Eddy, Pulpit and Press, p. 22). Seeing this happen in some measure is a reason to look forward to the day when Christ-healing will indeed prevail in all lands.

Whether or not it is called Christ, the voice of truth speaks to everyone, in every land.