Christmas is a time of happiness, love, and music! It’s a season to celebrate and enjoy, even if it feels a little hectic or you find yourself alone. Did you know that learning more about the meaning of Christ and Christmas can make everything feel extra special? It can help bring peace and warmth to your heart, making this time of year even brighter!
Jesus Christ and His Mission
Jesus is called Christ because the title “Christ” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” meaning annointed one. Explaining the distinction between Jesus and the Christ, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, says,
Jesus is the name of the man who, more than all other men, has presented Christ, the true idea of God, healing the sick and the sinning and destroying the power of death.
Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 473:12-15
Jesus had a deep understanding of God and humankind through his Christly nature. He saw the expression of God’s qualities clearly in the people and world around him, and he was able to heal people by helping them see it too. In Christian Science we try to see people the way Jesus saw them, full of God’s qualities of strength, wisdom, and compassion.
How can these ideas help us every day? They remind us that when we look for expressions of love and compassion in the world around us, we will find them in others and in ourselves. When we treat others with the love we gain from understanding the Christ and Christmas, we will find more peace and harmony. Whether you find the holiday season a struggle or a joy, be on the lookout for expressions of love and other qualities of God to enrich the Christmas season.
Turning to Christ
During the busyness of the Christmas season, we can always turn to the spiritual ideas behind Christmas and the Christ. Even if we seem to be lacking something–-money, time, loved ones, there is no problem that is too difficult for the divine Truth and Love of God. As Eddy says,
Yes, the desire which goes forth hungering after righteousness is blessed of our Father, and it does not return unto us void.
Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 2:4
The Christ always fills the void.
In one of her Christmas messages, Eddy observes,
Again loved Christmas is here, full of divine benedictions and crowned with the dearest memories in human history — the earthly advent and nativity of our Lord and Master. At this happy season the veil of time springs aside at the touch of Love. We count our blessings and see whence they came and whither they tend. Parents call home their loved ones, the Yule-fires burn, the festive boards are spread, the gifts glow in the dark green branches of the Christmas-tree. But alas for the broken household band! God give to them more of His dear love that heals the wounded heart.
Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany p. 256:17
Many of us exchange gifts with loved ones this time of year. Gift giving started as a remembrance of the gift God gave us in Jesus. Embracing this gift, knowing that we are loved, never alone can give hope for the future, can leave us feeling satisfied rather than pressured into following along with commercialism.
Even in Mary Baker Eddy’s time, Christmas could be an overwhelming time of year; department stores remained open until midnight on Christmas Eve for the first time in 1867, just after the American Civil War. She chose not to give material gifts at this time of year because she wanted to focus on spiritual ideas of Christ and Christmas. Eddy shows how she celebrates Christmas:
I love to observe Christmas in quietude, humility, benevolence, charity, letting good will towards man, eloquent silence, prayer, and praise express my conception of Truth’s appearing.
Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany p. 262:27
Learn more about Christ and Jesus by reading Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook. Read Online Also, listen to a podcast about the healing impact of this book, entitled “This book healed me: Ideas that can heal anything.” Podcast
Mary Baker Eddy’s poem Christ and Christmas is available from The Mother Church Online Shop.
Enjoy inspiring SoCal and online Christmas concerts and programs. Special Events
