Christmas Spirit Year Round

[The angels said,] “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:14

Imagine what it was like the night Jesus was born. Shepherds were out in the fields with their sheep. The night may have been dark and starless, or perhaps the shepherds were under a sky filled with stars. Everything was still, except for the occasional bleating of a sheep. Suddenly the sky was aglow with glorious light.

The shepherds were afraid, but an angel told them, “Don’t be afraid! . . . I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

Then the sky was filled with angels saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” The shepherds hurried to find baby Jesus, and they worshiped him. Then they went out and told everyone about what the angel had said.

Can you imagine how that one night changed the shepherds’ lives? They could never forget the night they saw and heard the angels in the sky. Meeting the baby Jesus changed them forever.

Each year you celebrate Christmas, the birth of the Savior. Does the same sense of awe and wonder that filled the shepherds fill you as you think about Jesus coming to the earth as a baby? Or is Christmas more about parties, Christmas programs, gifts, or visits with relatives?

No matter what time of year it is, you can still cherish the Christmas story in your heart and have a sense of wonder about Jesus coming to the earth for you. You can be filled with awe, as the shepherds were, that the Son of God was born in a lowly stable in order to live among humanity.

Celebrate Christmas in your heart year-round, and let that sense of wonder spread to those around you, especially those who don’t yet have the hope of Jesus in their lives.

No matter what time of year it is, take time to read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Thank God for the gift of his Son, and share the message of salvation with someone today.