Christmas is a feast of the senses: decorated trees, outdoor lights, wrapped presents, chocolate, ham sliders, cookies, pies, chocolate, wreaths, candles, the sound of carols, the smell of pine and spruce, chocolate, connecting with loved ones in person and online, gathering together right now. It is indeed a good and joyful thing to celebrate Christmas in such an embodied way because we are celebrating the embodiment of God. The Holy One who speaks the universe into existence and declares it good enters into that universe and is enfleshed in Jesus.
And let me be clear: there is no logical way to understand or explain that incredible mystery. We can say the words, but in the end we can only kneel in love and awe before the wondrous reality of it. Spirit and matter are joined together. The One who makes the world is now part of the world and fills the world. As the Franciscan writer Richard Rohr puts it, we live in a Christ-soaked universe. Every physical object can be a means of grace; every physical action can be a sacrament. God is one with us and with this world She creates and rejoices in.
So, yes, we should eat, drink, and be merry. We should hug the people we love, and as the Psalmist says, we should taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 35:8). But there is one other thing we can do to make our joy and God’s joy complete. Just as God has been embodied in Jesus Christ, so Jesus Christ longs to be embodied in us. The saving work of the Incarnation is not complete until Christ is incarnated, enfleshed, in me and in you.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit who, as our second reading today affirms, has been poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. But there is something we can do to cooperate with that Spirit and open up the channels of divine love and grace within us. And that something is what I am going to urge all of us to do today. At some point today when you are not opening presents or eating or watching TV or talking to your family, I ask you to find a quiet space for just a few minutes. Go into your room and shut the door, as Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:6). And then deliberately welcome Christ into your life. You can use whatever words you want — only Jesus is going to hear them — but welcome him personally and spend a few moments giving thanks that his Spirit lives in you.
My own prayer will be something like this: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for living within me. I want my heart to love like yours, I want my spirit to be your Spirit. Thank you that I am filled with your life which you give to me as a gift. Thank you for the people around me who reflect your love. Thank you for opportunities to love you by loving others. Thank you for forgiving me when I fail. Thank you that you will be with me and I will be with you forever. Open my eyes so that I can see heaven everywhere. Welcome, Lord Jesus. Welcome.”
The New Testament and our baptismal liturgy make it clear: we are to be one with Christ and to embody Christ in this world. That is our great joy and privilege. Christmas will not be over until Jesus is enfleshed in us. And the more he is enfleshed in us, the more every day will be like Christmas.
So receive him. Welcome him. Embody him. Today.
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