Discovering the Christ light at Christmas

On Christmas Eve I usually attend a midnight Christmas service at a cathedral in the West of England. As we enter, everyone in the congregation is given a candle and candle holder. During the service all other lights are dimmed and the glow of hundreds of candles illuminates the darkness. A period of quiet prayer and reflection follows before the service continues.

The Christmas season celebrates the birth and life of Christ Jesus, who, as stated in the Gospels, brought spiritual light and healing to multitudes during his three-year ministry. The Christ, Jesus’ spiritual and eternal nature, is forever active and present, continuously illuming human consciousness with its uplifting message. In the New Testament, the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition). The redemptive power and efficacy of the Christ is undimmed and immutable.

The Gospel of Mark records that Jesus once entered the home of two of his disciples, Simon and Andrew, when Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus took her by the hand and raised her up; she was immediately healed (see 1:29-31). Jesus perceived the true identity of the individuals he encountered as the reflection of God – whole, and completely free from sickness – and the light of this spiritual understanding brought healing.

The Christ reveals to us man’s unbreakable unity with God, divine Life, and enables us to demonstrate this unity in our own lives. In John’s Gospel, Jesus states, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (12:46).

Jesus’ disciples followed their Master’s teachings and continued his healing work, as the book of Acts affirms. They understood and demonstrated the power of Christ, God’s divine message, to heal and transform human lives. In their healing practice, the disciples saw again and again, as Jesus revealed so fully, that man’s true being is entirely whole and spiritual, therefore harmonious and healthy.

Our own receptivity to the light of Christ leads to moral and spiritual progress today. The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew’s Gospel, presents the core teachings of Jesus. As we strive to live in obedience to these teachings, we are able to appreciate – and actively express – the Christly qualities that are inherent in us, such as forgiveness, purity, gentleness, and humility, which open the door to the truth that heals.

If we are separated from family or friends, the Christ light can comfort and assure us of God’s love for us – and for everyone. The Christ can awaken us to moral courage and clarity when we are confronted with tough decisions that test our mettle. If a belief of sickness or disease appears to assail us, the Christ can reveal that our true identity as the expression of divine Life is sound and intact.

In an article first published in a New York newspaper, Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Monitor, writes, “Christmas respects the Christ too much to submerge itself in merely temporary means and ends. It represents the eternal informing Soul recognized only in harmony, in the beauty and bounty of Life everlasting, – in the truth that is Life, the Life that heals and saves mankind” – Soul being another name for God (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” pp. 259-260).

One Christmas I had to withdraw from family activities because of food poisoning. In a quiet room, I prayed to know that the Christ is present and active, revealing soundness and harmony to all. I affirmed that my connection to God, divine Life and Love, is indestructible and intact. As the manifestation of divine Life, man expresses freedom and dominion, and each one of us is that spiritual idea, man, whom God creates. I was soon able to rejoin my family, restored and well. Through this quick healing, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Christ and how it operates in our lives, showing us our completeness.

The light and majesty of the Christ are with us throughout this holiday season and beyond. The eternal Christ brings comfort, spiritual strength, and joy to all. Like those holding candles ablaze in a darkened cathedral, each of us has the ability to experience and share the light of Christ this Christmas.