At this time of year we hear many words used to describe December 25 but one word seems to come out of the mouths of most Christians to describe the day - commercialism. Now mind you that can be true if your standard of Christmas is what the unsaved world is doing leading up to December 25, then, YES, it is a clearly a financial bonanza for most stores and commercial to them. But is that all there is to Christmas? Let me share a few things that EVERY Christian should be able to accept about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
- The exact date is really not an issue. There is much debate about the exact date when Jesus was born. Since the Word of God does not give us an exact time, there are some who say that they point to some markers in the Scriptures such as Zacharias’ service in the Temple, Luke 1:5. These folks then work their numerical determination from that, based upon Old Testament passages and come up with dates that vary from early March to late May.(1) While some use the same information and say it was exactly June 17. (2) Still others say it was sometime in October. (3) While a few even set the date between September 16 to 29th.(4) And then there are groups, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, that say they don’t know the date, but that the selection of pagan holiday December 25 was selected by Catholic popes to “Christianize” it. But to be honest, the date is not important or God would have given it to us in His Word. So let’s not get stuck on any date as a marker of unchangeable truth, because it is not.
- If celebrating Jesus’ birth is wrong then we shouldn't celebrate our own birthdays. To be fair, it is true that some people just don’t like celebrating birthdays of any kind. That is usually because of a fear of getting older and not some biblical belief, I might add. But I have never found any Christian that said it is wrong to honor people of their birthdays. Even the most ardent anti-Christmas Christian will call their mother and father to say “Happy Birthday” and send cards or gifts to friends to let them know they are thinking of them. This is a simple way to show that birthday person that we remember their special days and want to show them that we love them. I do not think anyone is upset by the actual celebrating of Jesus’ birth, but the supposed pagan date, potential pagan symbolism, and the general “commercialization” of the event. So, let’s agree to celebrate Jesus’ birth and honor Him - by giving Him ourselves and singing praises to Him not Santa Claus or snowmen. If we chose to go beyond that, it must be a personal decision, but, let’s start with the proper celebration for/of Jesus’ birth.
- If there was no birth, there would be no risen Lord. Jesus’ birth was for one purpose - the payment for the sins of mankind. He came to earth to live, die, and rise again for our redemption. However, we all must accept that if Jesus was not born then He could not die and rise again. It is point of simple logic as well as biblical truth. Notice, however, the emphasis God placed upon Jesus’ arrival. First, He made sure all the world knew that His Son had been born by sending a star to mark the path to Bethlehem. Then He allowed that star to remain in place for potentially two years as the wise men travelled to worship Jesus, Matthew 2. Next, God places in Paul’s mind and heart the truth about the importance of Jesus’ coming to earth through the woman (birth) in Galatians 4:1-7. And finally, and this I find simply amazing, how often God uses the word “born” to describe a person’s walk with Him. Do a search and see for yourself how the term “born” describes so much of the Christian experience - John 3:1-16, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:1-18, and so on. To God the birth is crucial to the life, both physically and spiritually. Yet, Jesus’ birth is just as important as His death and Resurrection, as they cannot be separated because of personal disdain for a certain day or mis-use of that day.
- Every day is to be equally celebrated by Christians by worshipping their Lord. There has always been conflicts between Christians over personal views of certain events and activities. Today, groups separate from other groups over dress, music, and whether there is a television in the house or not. I have even known some people to leave churches because there was an American flag at the front of the church. With these types of conflicts among Christians today, is it any wonder that Paul wrote in Romans 14 about the conflicts over things such as meat offered to idols and whether any particular day was pagan or not? (And yes, that is the context of Romans 14:5-8, pagan/religious holidays being used by some yet being rejected by others!) The focal point is a phrase in verse 5, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” If you are convinced that December 25 should be just like every other day of the year then all is well for you, but so is the conscience of those see December 25th as a special day to celebrate Jesus’ birth! The real point MUST be that we always remember that Jesus is Lord and make EVERY day a worship event.
There is little doubt that Christmas has become a major commercial windfall for businesses. But it can also be a tremendous opportunity for Christians to openly talk about the first half of Christmas - CHRIST. The choice is up to the individual on how that takes place.
- http://www.livingwordlutheran.net/index_htm_files/Why%20do%20we%20celebrate%20Christmas%20in%20winter%20when%20Jesus%20was%20born%20in%20the%20spring.pdf
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1093053/Cancel-Christmas--Jesus-born-June-17-say-scientists.html
- http://www.times.co.sz/news/94445-jesus-was-born-in-october’.html
- https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/568/When-Was-Jesus-Born.htm
