The Holy Ghost of Christmas Presence

My recent annual reading of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol opened my eyes to the peculiar and miraculous way in which Jesus Christ interacted with mankind.

You are no doubt familiar with the revelation Jacob Marley’s ghost gives to Scrooge, but it is worth repeating here, being a powerful spur to good works:

Marley’s ghost laments: ‘Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’

Marley goes on to lament the fact that in life he had wandered through crowds of his fellow-beings with eyes turned down. Dickens, in his deep concern and commiseration for the poor, was trying to open our hearts to the tragic life habit so many of us get into of indulging in empty busyness without stopping to consider the real business of our lives, which is mankind, helping those we meet, aiding the poor, or in the very least, interacting (for the Kingdom) with people, strangers and loved ones alike.

This revelation brought me to consider Christ. Consider Him with me, if you will.     

When you read the gospels with Marley’s lament in mind, you realize that the most important man to ever walk this earth--whose life involved events and actions that were world-changing--was never too busy for anyone he met along the road. Jesus Christ Himself always made time for strangers, for the poor, the rejected, and the lost.

What a testament! Matthew 8:5-7, 9:18-19, and 20:29-34, are just a few of the many examples of Jesus making mankind His business. This is all the more remarkable when we consider the fact that Jesus knew he had only a short time left, and could have spent those days serving His will, saving Himself. But Jesus refused to ignore the suffering of his fellow-beings.

So, even though we lead busy lives, perhaps we could/should take a moment each day to consider one vital question: ‘Have I made room in my schedule for God?’ We serve God by obeying His commands, which are summed up in Galatians 5:14, to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is done by giving our time and gifts to those we meet on our daily path.

Anyway, that’s some basic but nourishing food for thought (which I know I needed to hear, anyway).