THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
BY CARRIE F. JUDD MONTGOMERY
As the Christmas-tide
draws near we have been meditating on what is the true spirit of Christmas. How
the world misses the true Christmas spirit, with its selfish pleasure, and
gifts made to others just to receive gifts in return. And while many of these
Christmas gifts are made in a loving spirit, so far as earthly love goes, yet
we have heard people talk as through the custom of giving these presents was
the greatest bondage, from which they would gladly escape if possible. Alas,
that the Christmas spirit is so perverted.
Let us look into God’s
Word, and open our hearts wide, that we may stream from Heaven, that the
love-sacrifice of the blessed lamb of God may take possession of us, and that
we may be filled with the same spirit which caused Him to come to earth, and
take our humanity upon Him, and be born in a rude manger. We have it summed up
for us in that sweet text, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that ye through His
poverty might be rich”. (1 Cor. 8:9). “HE BECAME POOR that ye…might be rich”.
He laid down his glory, He “made Himself of no reputation”, he “was made in the
likeness of men”, “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the Cross”. And just before the remarkable passage in which these
words occur, we read, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
(Read Phil. 2:5-8).
“That ye might be rich”.
Have we not a right to be rich since He became poor for this very purpose! We
read of the “exceeding riches of His grace”, and of the “unsearchable riches of
Christ”, and of God’s supplying our every need “according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus”. The gold of this earth does not make us rich, but the
Lord tells us to buy of Him gold tried in the fire that we may be rich, and as
He gives us the “true richness” He teaches us how to enrich the lives of
others. He has made abundant provision for us to be enriched with spiritual riches,
to have His own sacrificing love, and “the faith of the Son of God”, but if we know
this wealth in our own lives, and do not pour it out upon others, we shall soon
realize that we are losing out. “He went about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil”. This was His ministry; this must be our ministry,
for He has committed it to us, and we are ambassadors for Him. He has put us in
trust with the Gospel, and a blessed and solemn trust it is. We are stewards of
the Heavenly riches, and He requires us to be faithful. We have seen many whom
God greatly blessed, and yet because they did not pour that blessing out upon
others, it was soon taken from them, and they were mourning their spiritual
poverty. God does not give us anything to keep for ourselves, but only to give
out to others, and as we give we shall find the enjoyment of it ourselves. “There
is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than
is meet, but is tendeth to poverty”. (Proverbs 11:24)
In Gal. 6:2 we have
another text which sweetly illustrates the true spirit of Christmas. “Bear ye
one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. We read in this
Epistle many warnings not to seek to be justified by the law, with even these strong words, “Christ is
become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are
fallen from grace”. (Gal 5:4). But in the text above quoted we have “the law of
Christ”, which is none other than the law of His own blessed life within us,
and which is a law of perfect love, which causes us to bear the burdens of
others. Before the Christ-Spirit takes possession of us, we are filled with the
selfishness which belongs to human nature, but when we are filled with Christ
we have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, by the power of the Holy
Ghost. Before we are lost in Him, we think we are loaded with our own burdens,
to such an extent that we cannot help others, but His love within us makes our
own burdens almost forgotten as we bear the burdens of others. And they become
such sweet burdens, as Christ yokes Himself up with us, and helps us bear them.
Again in Romans 15:1-3
we have another passage showing forth the true spirit of Christmas. “We then
that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please
ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.
For even Christ is pleased not Himself.” Has the Lord made us strong by His
grace? Have we been established by His grace? Has he given us strength that we
may please ourselves; has He filled us with His grace that we may selfishly
rest in blessed experience, and have our days and hours filled with sunshine
while others sit in darkness? Alas, that many have thought this, and while they
were selfishly gloating over their rich experience, lo it has vanished. The law
of Christ is ever the same, it is the law of giving, of complete sacrifice, yea
of giving ALL, even as He gave. It is laying down our lives for the brethren
even as Christ laid down His life for us. We are made whole in proportion as we
are willing to be broken; we are healed as we are willing to be “bread corn,” bruised
for others.
God has told us to “lose
the band of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go
free, and that ye break every yoke.” He has also told us to deal our bread to
the hungry, to shelter the outcast, to cover the naked, to draw out our soul to
the hungry, and to satisfy the afflicted soul, and then He promises to us the
immediate answer to our call; light, rising in obscurity, so that our darkness
shall be as the noon-day, also continual guidance, and our souls made like a
watered garden (Read Isaiah 58:6-11). What a practical working out of the
Divine love we have in this chapter, and it is blessed to remember that He
never calls us to anything which His grace will not enable us to do. As some on
has put it, “God’s commands are His enablings.” Oh, the great feast of love He
spread s in our own heart, as we obey the Master in this walk of love and
sacrifice! Then when He comes again He has promised that we shall sit down to
eat, while He girds Himself and serves us. Wonderful love, marvelous condescension!
But He has noted even the cup of cold water in His Name, and He is not
unfaithful to forget our work and labor of love, which we have shown to His
name.
The Lord tells us when
we make a feast to “call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou
shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13-14.) Think of acts,
and reward them in that great Day! How we will wish that we had been more
faithful to such commands.
Let us remember the poor
this Christmas-tide. Let us trust the Lord to show us how to give even unto
sacrifice, not only ta this season of the year, but all the time. There are
wonderful promises in the Word to those who consider the poor. Look at Psalm
41:1-3; “Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in
time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive…the Lord will
strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make [Heb. turn] all his
bed in sickness.” It is not only food and money that the Lord wants given, but
the Gospel in all this blessed fullness-the forgiveness of sins through an all-sufficient
Saviour, - power to lead a holy life through the indwelling Christ, - tho
baptism of the Holy Spirit giving power for service, and the healing of the
body through the prayer of faith. Some may be obliged to say, “Silver and gold
have I none,” but God grant that we may have power like Peter to add, “but such
as I give I thee: in the Name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk.” Beloved, let
us not rest until we can preach this blessed Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent
down from Heaven. And now in conclusion we will quote the sweet words from
Nehemiah 8:10, “Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send
portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our
Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the lord is your strength.”
