Christmas Spirit = Christ-like Attitude

 

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

 Though he was God,
      he did not think of equality with God
      as something to cling to.
 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
      he took the humble position of a slave
      and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,
  he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.  – Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT)

This passage of Scripture is not usually thought of in terms of Christmas, but to me it perfectly epitomizes, not only the reason for celebrating the season, but also describes what our attitude should be at Christmas and everyday of the year.  When we speak of “getting into the Christmas spirit,” it seems to me that as Christians, the attitude should be defined by the attitude of our Savior.  The Apostle Paul perfectly communicates this to us by telling us, not only how, but why Jesus came into the world (John 1:10), and plainly says that this should be the standard and model for the way we live.

As followers of Christ we believe that the entrance of God as Emmanuel (God with us) into the world as a tiny infant, born to a virgin, as Messiah and Savior, is the greatest gift in all of history and indeed in all of eternity.  It follows that the greatest gift we can give to others, is the same…JESUS!  As for Christmas spirit?  The second greatest gift we can give to others this season can’t be purchased from Wal-Mart or the mall.  It is the gift of ourselves, and when we give that gift it should be expressed as being the image of our Lord.