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January-March, 2004

Sharing the Spirit of Christmas

by Rev. Jennifer McSween, O.M.C.

It’s December 12th, 2 a.m. I’m seated in my living room, enjoying the stillness of the night, the tiny flickering lights of our beautifully decorated Christmas tree; basking in the deep sense of peace and the growing feeling of joy I’ve been experiencing, as we moved into the Christmas season.

For me, this in itself is a miracle. It’s not that I did not normally experience joy at Christmas. It’s just that joy was not the only thing I experienced. It was more of an experience of “mixed emotions.” The joy of getting together with loved ones to celebrate this joyous occasion was mixed with the pain of identifying with my own guilt that surfaced as I interacted with those very same loved ones on this joyous occasion. How this played out in the drama of my life would read along the lines of Dr. Seuss’ story of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” where everyone seemed to have “the Spirit of Christmas” but him. But I digress.

In last winter’s issue of Miracles News, Rev. Therese Anne Ward of Kentucky, wrote an article about finding a whole new meaning to the words of the old Christmas song “Oh Holy Night.” Rev. Ward’s “new meaning” of that old song led me to see myself in a new light as I found a deeper meaning of Christmas. I had the revelation that “Christmas,” the Birth of Christ, is really about the Recognition (Birth) of “Christ Consciousness” in me, as me. That means that my true Identity is the one created by God, not the one I created based on “guilt-ridden” characteristics, and so is everyone else’s. As it says in Lesson 61, Who we are is the Son of God. Who we are is the Light of the world. That is the Truth of Who we all are.

As I accept this as the truth of Who I am and Who we all are, what naturally follows is a deep sense of peace, which the Course says is “the condition for the awareness of your relationship with God.” and “Joy, for the time of Christ is meaningless apart from joy.”

Accepting that Truth is recognizing the Presence of the Spirit of Christ (Christmas) in me. Embracing that Truth allows me to experience and express the joy and peace that comes with my acceptance of the Presence of this Spirit in me, in all situations.

It was in this Spirit, that I approached the last meeting of the season, on December 8th, of the weekly ACIM study group I facilitate. I wanted to extend my Joy of recognizing “the Spirit of Christmas” in me. I felt led to select Workbook Lesson 61, “I am the light of the world,” as our Workbook lesson for that week. Our topic was “The Gift of Christmas.” In place of a reading from the text, I took along copies of Rev. Ward’s “rendition” of “Oh Holy Night.” The group sang, line by line, the words to the song “Oh Holy Night,” while I narrated and commented on Rev. Ward’s new words and meaning. It was magical!

There we were, a culturally and religiously diverse group of 8-10 Muslims, Jews, Catholics and other denominations, joining with each other in the Spirit of Christmas. Thank you, Rev. Therese Anne Ward, for sharing your Miracle. And to All, I wish You “A JOYFUL NEW YEAR.”

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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