Christmas Without the Spirit

For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11

Recently, I attended the musical comedy, Elf.   The venue was beautifully decorated with lights, trees, and tinsel, yet amidst all the outward signs of the Christmas spirit, there was a void in the mood needed to fill your heart and excite your spirit.  What’s Christmas without the music of the season, people laughing, children’s joy, celebratory faces, and the presence of God?  It’s dull at best and depressing at its worst.

I loved the movie, Elf.   It was wonderful as it was, but then the writers, directors, and the powers that be in theater, decided to rewrite the script which everyone knew and loved to make it more “modern day” friendly.  I mean, Santa using an iPad, the sleigh devoid of reindeer?! The process took away all the spirit and fun of the production for me, which ironically was the theme of the show -our Christmas spirit.

I wonder if we have also taken the Biblical Christmas story and inserted our “modern day” reasoning into it as well. It’s perfect as it is and beautiful, so why do people try to rewrite it to suit themselves? There are those who doubt the virgin birth and the resurrection and are trying to rewrite the Bible. We are losing the battle in this secular society that insists on changing everything to make it acceptable to all.  We can’t explain all the wonders of the Christmas story, but we can take God’s word on faith and celebrate it!  Emmanuel, God with us makes it a celebration and is reason in itself for spirit.

During the performance, I began to look around at the faces of children  who were expecting a magical night, and it made me imagine that night long ago when the Savior was born and the Christmas spirit began.  It reminded me that there are so many people in our world who are hungry for the Christmas Spirit.  We come to Christmas with great expectations, but many times our spirit doesn’t match our expectations. It’s up to us to open our hearts and our minds to the spirit that comes when we truly celebrate the reason for the season, the birth of our Savior.

Christmas is in our hearts and it’s there for sharing with others.  If we do nothing to share and celebrate it, others will have license to rewrite it to suit a new generation.  I love the story just as it is – a child of God born in a manger to a carpenter and his Mary.  It holds majesty and glory for me.  I love the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”