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Author
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Topic: In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas
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KnowHim
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I am reading this book right now. It seems to be very good and sure brings our some things I have never though about. Just wondering if anyone else has read it?
Below is from the beginning of the book.
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In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas
By: Dan Schaeffer
Every year, we promise ourselves that we are going to get into the "real Christmas spirit." Yet too many Christmas seasons have come and gone, leaving us with pangs of regret. Why does it seem so hard? What are we missing? What is the real Christmas spirit anyway?
We can't help asking ourselves those questions. After the lights and tree and decorations have all been put away, we silently wonder whether our celebration of Christmas was all that much different from anyone else's. We can't help feeling, again, that we have missed something we shouldn't.
Will we be left wondering the same thing this year? The more living nativities we see, the more Christmas plays with shepherds, wise men, and fresh-smelling mangers, the more scenes we witness of Mary smiling down at her baby in a quaint stall-the more we lose touch with what really happened and what it means to us today.
In short, we can become immune to the story's real power. We expect to find the baby Jesus in the manger. We hear angels proclaiming the good news to shepherds and think nothing of it. We may sing "Immanuel" more reverently than "Jingle Bells," but do we have any idea what it means? We have seen the story of Mary giving birth in a stall so many times that we can find ourselves yawning through it.
We find the whole story quaint, wholesome, charming, and if we're brave enough to admit it, even a little boring. But the real Christmas story isn't quaint and it isn't boring, and it isn't supposed to make us comfortable. It is supposed to make us scratch our heads and ask, "What's wrong with this picture?" Through familiarity, we are in danger of losing the power and the glory of Christmas. The familiar story is so much deeper and more powerful than we ever imagined, but we must look at it through an unfamiliar lens.
To those who have longed to experience the real spirit of Christmas, this book is dedicated.
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Posts: 3276 | From: Charlestown, IN | Registered: Jun 2002
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