seank.mitchell@yahoo.com

Christmas is a season of which I can never get enough. Christmas trees, stockings hanging on the fireplace, the movie Scrooge, and an abundance of charity create a sort of real-life wonderland. I look forward more to the days leading up to Christmas—for on Christmas morning I know it is almost over, and I am left with a feeling of anticipation for the next go around. And while I enjoy the look and feel of the season’s magic, I know that both within and behind the pages of its transparency exists a deeper meaning for all of us, a spiritual revelation awaiting our embrace.

For some, the magic of Christmas isn’t felt anymore. Christmas has become filled with sorrow, and the season is now void of loved ones who used to be part of the celebration. I know you have heard of similar stories, those that remind us how vulnerable we all are to loss and disappointment, stories reminding us not to trust completely in the earthly imaginativeness of the season. (Possibly you are one who is grieving over a loss.) The magic is fun, but it can let us down if we only allow ourselves to experience it and not the deeper reality of the season. The deeper revelation does more than make us feel good; it actually gives hope and heals our ability to see—to see that the magic of the season is actually a glimpse of what life is meant to be every day and throughout eternity.

Over 2,000 years ago, the revelation began with the birth of a child. The child was God, the Son of God, who came to earth as a human in order to enable other humans to receive the revelation. This revolutionary God-man was Jesus, born to a young woman named Mary and a man named Joseph. His normalcy unites us to him in flesh; His extraordinary humility unites us to God. As the Christmas decorations are put away, and the remainder of the magic stored away until next year, the revelation of Jesus remains. For those of us whose Christmases have grown dark, the revelation of Jesus lights the path of the heart. The revelation of Jesus is a bold, audacious message of a God who has come, a God whose love and presence can’t be removed from one season to the next. The message of Jesus is to look, listen, and discover the God who is here, the God who redeems everything about our lives through His guiding love. The God who speaks to us through darkness and light, pain and health, on Christmas day and every day after—revealing to us the purpose of our existence, the illusion of death, and the beauty of the place Jesus has prepared for our after-life.

This Christmas season, take in all of Christmas you possibly can. Watch all the movies, go downtown and walk the beautifully decorated streets, drive through the neighborhoods and take in the creatively lit and decorated homes, decorate your own home, go Christmas Caroling, indulge in charity towards others, attend church Christmas celebrations, and go to see a Christmas play. And don’t forget—believe. Believe that God lets us see all of this for a reason, and that He is right here in the middle of all of it, waiting to be known and worshipped. He is above it all, in it all, and working through all to reveal both His glory and the fact that the beauty of the season is only a reflection of our own. Go therefore into this wonderful season, live in it, breath it, and be reminded that it is a glimpse of what eternity will be like and more—eternity being that place Jesus said he was going to prepare for us and will soon give each of us.

Copyright Sean K. Mitchell

Sean K. Mitchell is a fundraising consultant and a creative writer. He is also the author of The Financial Pilgrimage, a book that helps Christians embrace a fresh approach to financial decisions and Christian living. For more information on the book or to contact Sean, visit www.seankmitchell.com.