Myths of the Holy Spirit: Christmas Spirits

By Rev. George Borghardt

“Merry Christmas!” Have you ever considered how much of a Spirit-filled gift that greeting is? The phrase “Merry Christmas” communicates “A happy and blessed celebration of Jesus’ birth to you!” to those around you.

Only on Christmas does everyone for just a moment hear the message of a virgin giving birth to her firstborn Son. All the earth declares, with much celebrating and merry making, the birth of our Savior. Everything stops: stores, restaurants, families, transportation, everything. Families gather together around His gifts, or at least around each other. And this message always seems to find a way to slip through: “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35 ESV).

There’s the virgin, the baby, and the Most High— that’s Christmas! But how did the Holy Spirit get in there? Who exactly is the Holy Spirit, and where does He fit in at Christmas? Is the Spirit that feeling of warmth you feel welling up inside when you sing a Christmas song by candlelight on Christmas Eve? Is the Spirit the one who makes Grinches’ small hearts grow three sizes or convince mean old Scrooges to start giving things away?

These are all good things, but they are not necessarily the working of the Holy Spirit. How can we tell? These things don’t save you from hell. Your heart can beat faster and grow bigger. It can even be so filled with love that you give your money away. And you and your great, big, warm heart can still find yourself in hell on the Last Day.

The Holy Spirit’s work is all about saving you. If you want to find the Holy Spirit in Christmas, listen to Jesus, the Savior of your sins, being put into your ears. Listen to be reminded of Baptism when water and the Spirit sprinkled you into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). Listen to your pastor’s Absolution, where Christ forgives you for all the times you grumbled “Bah, humbug!” or your heart really was three sizes too small. The Lord’s Word delivers a merry Christmas to you because the Holy Spirit gives Jesus to you through the Word.

Probably the greatest myth about the Holy Spirit is that He works apart from the external Word. This myth is based on the false idea that God comes to you and creates faith in you without means or an outside instrument. Luther called those who believe such things “enthusiasts” (Schwarmerei). Enthusiasts get all revved up about the Spirit, but it’s always without the Word coming from outside of them. They don’t know exactly when or how or where God comes to them, but they sure feel it deep in their hearts when He has.

Now, you may have never heard anyone called a Schwarmerei, but you’ve certainly heard their teachings. They get all excited about Jesus because of a decision they’ve made or because they’ve felt something, done something, thought something, or just generally have a better and deeper understanding of the Spirit than someone not quite as enthusiastic about Jesus as they are, like you or me. If you look hard enough at yourself, you’ll see that you’ve gotten excited about these things too, haven’t you? There’s a Schwarmerei in all of us, looking to have a merry Christmas apart from Jesus’ words and promises.

But none of this merrymaking Christmas spirit is the Holy Spirit. That Spirit works through means to deliver Jesus to you. That’s what He does. He even delivered Jesus into Mary’s ears. The same goes for you. Where the Word is being preached, there you will find the Holy Spirit. Where sinners are having their sins washed away, there the Holy Spirit is at work. His gifts in Word and Sacrament are the means for the delivery of the “Holy Spirit, who works faith where and when He pleases in those who hear the Gospel” (AC V).