1 Corinthians 10:29-30 “Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?”
There are a lot of Christians running around social media today trying to shame people into not celebrating Christmas this year because they feel it is a pagan holiday. I cannot judge their true intentions, nor should I, because, God gave a clear admonition about judging and condemning the actions of others, Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” So allow me to explain why I celebrate Christmas this, and every year, by showing what IS GOOD to celebrate on December 25th.
- The Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The word Incarnation is not often used around Christmas time, but it is the truth we should be celebrating. You see, Jesus did not come into existence when He was born, but He was “incarnated” on that day, whatever day of the year it actually was. Incarnate means to take on human flesh, which is what Jesus did for us, Philippians 2:5-8. When we look at the baby in the manger we see the face of God Himself come in human flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16. The Son of God became Jesus but He has always been, John 1:1-14. So, for me and my family, December 25th is first and foremost about celebrating the Incarnation of our Savior Jesus Christ.
- Proving the authority of God’s Word. God does not need to prove Himself to anyone, especially me. But one way which He has chosen to prove His power is through the fulfillment of prophecy.(1) According to some, there are at least 353 prophecies fulfilled in Jesus’ life, with some 60 or more unique prophecies fulfilled at the birth of Jesus Christ.(2) I cannot speak for anyone else, but when I see that God foretold of Jesus being born in Bethlehem with angels announcing His birth, my confidence in the Word of God is strengthened, Matthew 1:22. God’s Word is more valid that tomorrow’s newspaper and my household starts EVERY Christmas morning by reading the Word of God and rejoicing in the promise that since He came once - He is coming again, because He promised He would!
- The Promise of blessed giving. Now mind you I love to receive gifts. (Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably lying.) But there is something special about the giving and exchanging of gifts at any time of year. Let’s focus on that word GIVING….because that is what Christmas is about, isn’t it? We’ve heard the adage, “Its better to give than receive,” but that is actually a misquoting of God’s Word as in Acts 20:35, Paul in giving his farewell address reminds us of Jesus’ words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I am not sure about you, but I want to be blessed by God and giving is part of that blessing. So please don’t try to stop me from giving to my wife, my children, and my friends, even on December 25. I want to be blessed and so we use “Christmas” as a day to seek that blessing from God. In our house, the very first “gift” my family gives on Christmas morning is when we bow our heads and surrender ourselves to the Lord before any gifts are given or received between each other. We actually “re-give” ourselves each Christmas to the Lord via prayer…please don’t say that’s pagan just because someone centuries ago worshipped a false god on the same day.
- First Earthly Announcement of Salvation Had Come. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God gave a precious promise of redemption in Genesis 3:15…”he shall bruise thy head.” Then on that night many years later the angel of the Lord says, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). THIS DAY!!!! What a day that was for all the earth and for all humanity! It was the day that God became our salvation on earth. It was not a pagan day or a commercial holiday, but the day where my salvation had come to me! If you choose to see December 25th as something else, that is your right, but for me and my house it is the day where God’s salvation had finally arrived and we want to celebrate that!
Let me add in conclusion that we COULD celebrate each of these things other days of year, and WE DO. But we as a family, and our church as a whole, have chosen to make December 25 the day where we focus on these four great truths that are NOT pagan. Please give us the Christian liberty to do such without condemnation or scorn.
(As a personal note, before anyone quotes Jeremiah 10:2-4, let me remind you that the verse was about Israel's worship of idols not a Christmas tree, and, if you want to live by that single verse then let's discuss a few other such as Romans 14:5 which is directed to the New Testament believer.)
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