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Each year, the arrival of Christmas awakens a renewed spirit of generosity within the Church. Clothing drives are held for people experiencing homelessness, soup kitchens supply hot meals for those in need, and shoeboxes are filled with gifts for underprivileged children. After all, this is the season in which we joyfully celebrate the greatest gift ever given — the Savior, Jesus Christ. How can we help but share a portion of what we’ve been given with others?
I also find that alongside the physical acts of generosity, I more freely extend spiritual hospitality to others. What is spiritual hospitality? It’s how one cares for and seeks to share the gospel with unbelievers. It involves acts of kindness like sharing clothing, feeding the needy, and living a life abundant in prayer, forgiveness, and a genuine, Christlike attitude. This deeper connection is essential for both their relationship with God and mine. The warmth of Christmas nurtures these desires, leading me to rededicate my faith. This Christmas, I decide, will be a new beginning as I vow to read Scripture daily, devote myself to prayer, and seek to grow closer to God.
So often, though, my lofty ideals fall through as soon as the calendar flips. Once the snow melts and the nostalgia fades, I revert to being a follower of my flesh, indulging in selfish acts and neglecting my responsibility to live out the spiritual hospitality Christ expects of me as His disciple. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” Jesus proclaims in John 14:15 (ESV). Yet, this mandate seems easier to overlook when the normalcy of life’s distractions returns in full force in January. I forget the transforming power of the Christmas story and how it ought to continually shape each moment of my life.
To only practice physical hospitality at Christmas while celebrating the birth of Christ and neglect spiritual hospitality throughout the year is a failure to fully grasp the true meaning of Christmas. Christ commands His followers to be charitable to those around us — feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and clothing the naked (Matthew 25:35-40). Yet, we overlook the Scriptures that exhort us to show spiritual charity. Christ also commands us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), forgive each other (Ephesians 4:32), and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We forsake His words because they are difficult to fulfill.
Yet, these are commands, not suggestions. Jesus instructs us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Praying for those we struggle to love can feel impossible without the grace of Jesus Christ. Curiously, it feels more attainable during Christmas. In the soft glow of Christmas lights, the hurts inflicted upon us seem milder. In the light of what Christ came to Earth to later accomplish, my pain appears irrelevant.
However, the act of praying for others — especially those we struggle to love — requires a depth of vulnerability that can be daunting. Even so, I believe prayer is the utmost generosity we can give to another, for only prayer has the power to connect us with the living God and, through Him, have any hope of leading unbelievers to salvation. It is a practice deeply intertwined with spiritual hospitality that requires us to confront our own hurts and fears. It demands a level of openness and trust that I find challenging, given past wounds and the fear of exposing my vulnerability.
I wrestle with prayer as often as I pray. The notion of bringing my heart before the Lord is steeped in anxiety. I fear judgment from fellow believers about not being eloquent enough, stumbling over my words, or praying for foolish or silly things. The intimacy of prayer feels precious and intimidating; it’s a deeply private conversation with God that I struggle to share with others. While I understand the power of praying within a community of believers — and desperately wish to do so — the vulnerability involved holds me back, robbing me of the blessing God intends. Ironically, it’s a struggle that will take prayer and God’s grace and strength to overcome.
How, then, do we grow in our vulnerability in our relationship with Christ? The answer is beautifully illustrated in the very story we celebrate at Christmas. Christ came to Earth to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), but He didn’t come as a soldier or revolutionary as many people at the time had expected. He came as a newborn child — helpless, innocent, and utterly dependent on His parents to survive. A baby cannot thrive without his mother’s milk, and as he grows, his father’s godly teaching and example stand as the foundation upon which his life is built. Even as a child with His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, Jesus exemplifies the life His followers should strive to emulate with the Father.
I believe that the most effective prayer is a vulnerable one. Like a child relies on its mother for sustenance, we depend entirely on the Lord in our human frailty. Through prayer, we enter into a relationship with Him that grows when we trust Him in our vulnerability. Charles Spurgeon declared, “The best style of prayer is that which cannot be called anything else but a cry.” Like a newborn’s cry, prayer ought to be raw in its honesty, desperate in its need, and trusting in its vulnerability to be effective in our growth as believers. Through a disciplined practice of prayer, we have a means of expressing our pain and praise and a way to grow in our knowledge and fear of the Lord and seek His wisdom in our lives.
Prayer is the quintessential means to keep open the doors of a spiritually hospitable heart. During the Christmas season, when the birth of our Lord and Savior is foremost in our minds, hospitality is expected and praised. Yet, prayer should be a constant practice throughout the year, regardless of circumstance. Relationships with others can only grow and flourish when vulnerability deepens into mutual trust and love, as does our relationship with the Lord. It’s how we mature from newborn believers into mature, godly followers of Christ, just as Jesus Himself grew from a helpless child into the man who, because He so loved the world, sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins so that we might receive eternal life (John 3:16).
A cultural belief many Christians embrace suggests that maintaining a positive outlook on life requires adopting an “attitude of gratitude.” While I agree that gratitude is important and even necessary for a humble, godly life, might I propose an alternative? Let’s keep a heart so aware of its desperation for a Savior that we have no choice but to fall into the arms of Jesus for salvation and rest.
By embracing vulnerability in our prayers and maintaining a consistent prayer life, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God’s love and wisdom. This continual reliance on Him deepens our faith and cultivates a spirit of hospitality and generosity that extends beyond the Christmas season and into every aspect of our lives.
Read the full issue of Light Magazine [PDF] here.
