What is the Christmas Spirit?

It's another 4 days before Christmas. Did some Christmas shopping at 1U yesterday. Didn't buy everything we were supposed to buy. May need to go to Mid-Valley tomorrow. Sometimes this can be a chore. Is buying gifts, exchanging gifts, attending dinners, open houses or church services all there is to Christmas? Frankly, I'm not really in the mood to celebrate this year because there is so much to mourn. Then again, isn't Christmas about hope. Hope for whom? To us middle class Christians or to those who are oppressed or marginalized?

I would like to share a passage from J.I. Packer's classic 'Knowing God'. No one can unpack deep theological truths like Packer does. Here's from a passage from the chapter 'God Incarnate'

We talk glibly about the 'Christmas Spirit', rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.

It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians - I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians - go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human needs all around them, but (after a pious wish, and perhaps a prayer, that God might meet those needs) averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit. Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class home, and making nice middle-class friends, bringing up their children in nice middle-class ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian or non-Christian to get on by themselves.

The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor - spending , and being spent - to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others - and not just their own friends - whatever way there seems need.

There are not as many who show this spirit as there should be. If God in mercy revives us, one of the things he will do will be to work more of this spirit in our hearts and lives. If we desire spiritual quickening for ourselves individually, one step we should take is to seek to cultivate this spirit. 'You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.' (2 Cor 8:9). 'Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus' (Phil 2:5)

Reading Packer again, makes me feel that the Hindraf 5 especially the 4 lawyers have more of the Christmas spirit in them than many Christians and modeled Jesus' incarnational ministry better than most of us. With their education and status, they have already succeeded in breaking free from the poverty trap that most of their fellow Indians are in. Yet instead of trying to become another VK Lingam, they chose to become 'poor' and fight for their community to the extent of now losing their freedom.

Hopefully, this Christmas, those of us who are Christians can pause for a while in the midst of celebration and feasting, how we can by our lives extend peace and goodwill to all men especially to those who are poor and marginalized