There would be no Christmas story without the Holy
Spirit’s power.
We Christians are notorious for limiting the Holy Spirit.
Many churches put Him in the back seat, confine Him in a box of tradition or
ignore Him altogether. Some Christians treat the Third Person of the Trinity as
if he magically materialized in the Book of Acts, like a genie out of a bottle,
and then vanished after the early church was established.
But God is God, not a genie, and the same Holy Spirit who
brooded over the waters at Creation, inspired the Old Testament prophets and
empowered the first disciples at Pentecost is still doing miracles today. It is
also important to recognize that the Holy Spirit was involved in every step of
the Christmas story. This holiday, I’m paying closer attention to the Spirit’s
work in the miracle of the Incarnation.
“It is also
important to recognize that the Holy Spirit was involved in every step of the
Christmas story. This holiday, I’m paying closer attention to the Spirit’s work
in the miracle of the Incarnation.”
Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, pays close attention
to the work of the Holy Spirit in the gospel that bears his name. Luke’s
account of the birth of Jesus is the most detailed, and he highlights the Holy
Spirit’s activity in the lives of five people in the first two chapters.
We tend to look down on Zacharias, the father of
John the Baptist, because he doubted God’s ability to give his barren wife a
child. But Luke reminds us that after Zacharias was struck dumb in the temple,
he was filled with the Spirit when his son was born (see Luke
1:67) and he began to prophesy. Humbled and chastised by God, Zecharias
gained new strength from the Spirit and uttered one of the richest Messianic
promises recorded in Scripture.
Zacharias reminds me that the Holy Spirit refines and
corrects us, and ultimately uses us in spite of our failures and weaknesses. We
must never grow weary of God’s discipline—because in the end, we will emerge
with a message from Him.
Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, rarely
appears in nativity scenes or Christmas card illustrations. She seems like a
minor player. Yet Luke tells us that she was filled with the Holy Spirit when
Mary came to visit her at her home in Judah (see Luke 1:41).
How was the Spirit’s power manifested in her life? Luke says she “cried out
with a loud voice” and announced that Mary was carrying the Christ child. Her
prophetic encouragement was crucial in Mary’s life.
Elizabeth reminds me that the Spirit is an Encourager
and a Comforter, and that I cannot make this spiritual journey without His
help. I must also recognize that God sometimes brings people into my life to
provide words to sustain me.
Even the baby John was filled with the Holy Spirit
while in his mother’s womb (see Luke 1:15). This was an
exceptional miracle—I’ve never met a baby who was filled with the Spirit! But
because John’s task was so great—to call a wayward Israel to repentance and prepare
the way for Jesus—he required exceptional power.
John reminds me that if I am to attempt any task for
God, I must do it in the power of the Spirit. I cannot just come up with a good
idea and ask God to bless it. It must be God’s idea, and it must be soaked in
the Holy Spirit’s anointing from the moment of conception!
When the young Mary asked Gabriel how she would be
able to conceive the Messiah as a virgin, the angel said: “The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (see Luke
1:35). Many Bible scholars, including commentator Matthew Henry, have
speculated that Mary actually conceived after she arrived at Elizabeth’s house,
perhaps even at the moment when Elizabeth felt the baby John leap in her womb. At
that moment Mary begins to praise the Lord extravagantly, extolling Him for His
mercy, power and faithfulness.
Mary reminds me that one of the key manifestations of
the Spirit in our lives is praise and worship. Being filled with the Spirit
automatically unleashes uninhibited praise. If my praise is subdued, casual or
restrained, then I need a fresh infilling.
Toward the end of the Christmas narrative, Luke also
introduces us to an elderly man named Simeon who had been praying for
the coming of the Messiah for many years. The Holy Spirit was “upon” this man (Luke 2:25), and the Spirit had revealed to him that he
would not die until he had seen Jesus. As it turned out, Simeon held the baby
Jesus in his arms, spoke a prophetic blessing over the child and prophesied to
his mother.
Simeon reminds me that the Spirit will give me the
power to hold onto God’s promises, no matter how many years it takes to see
their fulfillment.
The original Christmas was Spirit-filled. This holiday, I
pray you will not be so focused on the decorations and distractions of the
holiday that you miss what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through you.
J.
Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma.
You can follow him on Twitter at
leegrady. His most recent book is The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale
(Chosen).
