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Introduction:
In 1966, Elvis Presley asked, “Oh why can’t every day be like
Christmas?” No doubt most people, for one reason or another,
view Christmas as a very special day. It is a day for family to
get together. It is a day to eat big. It is a day to exchange
presents. For many this time of year brings out the best in them
to be a little more generous and caring. For most, however, the
day is considered special because they see it as the birthday of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, when anyone questions
that, most look bewildered. So ingrained is the concept of
celebrating the birthday of Jesus that many can’t imagine
questioning it. Sadly, because it is not in vogue and certainly
not politically correct, we have often stopped bringing up the
truth about this holiday and even Christians are mistakenly
celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25 and in some places
even bringing that celebration into the local congregation.
Let’s consider the celebration of Christmas. Discussion: I.
The real issue: Is Jesus Lord of our lives and our worship? A.
When I left the denominational world and became a
Christian, one of the first things I learned is that Bible stories
were rarely told correctly in the books I read and the shows I had
seen as a child. I had to relearn several Bible stories accurately
(which is one reason I am so opposed to so many of the modern
videos that almost never get the Bible stories accurate). One of
those stories was the supposed Christmas story. I learned that
numerous mistakes were made in that story. Namely, the Bible
doesn’t mention three wise men. Additionally, the wise men
don’t visit on the night of Jesus’ birth. The Bible never says
Jesus was born in a stable. On the list goes. When I first learned
those things, I was very upset. From that time, I heard multiple
lessons explaining how awful Christmas was because it got the
story of Jesus’ birth all wrong. However, recently I have
figured out that is not the real issue. After all, if we took that
message to people who celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, we
won’t change anything about the holiday other than getting them
to tell the story more accurately. We need to understand here and
now, the real issue for us surrounding Christmas is not whether
the story of Jesus’ birth is accurate. The real issue is whether
or not Jesus is the Lord of our lives and our worship. B.
I know that is shocking, so let me repeat it. The real
issue is whether or not Jesus is the Lord of our lives and our
worship. Luke
6:46 says, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not
do what I tell you?” (ESV). If Jesus is our Lord we will do what
He says. We will worship and serve Him the way He has declared. Colossians
3:17 says, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (ESV). That is, we are
to do all things by His authority. Further, II
Timothy 3:16-17 says that the Scripture equips us for
every good work. If the Scripture provides us no equipping for a
work, it is not good; no matter how much we like it. C.
We must understand this completely. This is not a question
of trying to stand out. This is not a question of trying to be
different. This is not a question of nitpicking. This is a
question of Jesus’ Lordship. Is Jesus our Lord or not? If He is,
then let us worship and serve Him the way He has authorized. In
the context of Jesus’ birthday, my question is where is the
equipping to celebrate Jesus’ birthday? The scripture equips us
for every good work, but it hasn’t equipped us to celebrate
Jesus’ birthday at all. So absent is the equipping that we
don’t even know the day of Jesus’ birth. D.
There isn’t even a really good historical reason for
setting the date on December 25. Consider what some historical
sources say, “There is no certain tradition of the date of
Christ’s birth…The exact circumstances of the beginning of
Christmas Day remain obscure.”[1]
In fact, most believe the date was set not based on anything
Christian or Scriptural but in order to compete with the pagan
holidays surrounding the winter solstice. “The reason for
establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it
is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan
festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice,
when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the ‘rebirth of
the sun.’”[2] E.
The Bible doesn’t even tell us the day of Jesus’ birth,
how can we remotely believe there is any Scriptural authority for
celebrating Jesus’ birthday? Please note, I have tried very
specifically to speak against celebrating Jesus’ birthday. I
have not said anything against celebrating Jesus’ birth. I think
we can and should do that, but we can and should do it God’s
way. Not our own. II.
Christmas: A Holiday with Pagan roots. A.
While Christmas is considered to be the premier Christian
holiday by most of the world, its actual background is steeped in
paganism. In fact, I suggest there is more of a pagan background
to the modern Christmas celebration than Christian. The only thing
remotely Christian about the holiday is that so many today make it
a day to tell the story, sing songs and set up a nativity scene
about Jesus’ birth. Everything else that is done comes from
paganism. B.
We have already seen that the day on which Christmas is
celebrated comes from paganism and not Christianity. Consider
another statement: The
true birth date of Christ is unknown. The worldwide census
reported in Luke 2:1-2 cannot be substantiated. By the late second
century different groups of Christians held divergent ideas on the
date of Christ’s birth: January 6 or 10…, April 19 or 20, May
20, or November 18… With
no evidence for the exact date of Christ’s birth, and no clear
proof of the date at which the feast began to be celebrated, nor
its rationale, liturgical historians have developed two
noncompetitive theories.[3] C.
The tree comes from paganism. The
use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as a symbol of
eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, Chinese, and
Hebrews. Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived
after their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs
of decoration the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year
to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree for the birds
during Christmastime…[4] Long
before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained
green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter.
Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive
season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung
evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries
it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts,
evil spirits, and illness. In
the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the
year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter
solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and
that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick
and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at
last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs
reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when
the sun god was strong and summer would return. The
ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of
a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the
solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians
filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for
them the triumph of life over death. Early
Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in
honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the
solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and
fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and
temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious
Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their
temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The
fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the
special plant of the sun god, Balder.[5] D.
The Yule log comes from paganism. “Another popular ritual
was the burning of the Yule Log, which is strongly embedded in the
pagan worship of vegetation and fire, as well as being associated
with magical and spiritual powers.”[6]
“Burning the Yule log was adapted to English custom from the
ancient Scandinavian practice of kindling huge bonfires in honor
of the winter solstice.”[7]
Buring
(sic) rites in Europe were common during the Dark Ages, and the
Yule Log is most likely another example of a Pagan Ritual being
slowly converted into a Christian Tradition. On the darkest day of
year, the Winter Solstice, peasants would light a large log on
fire to help keep away the evil spirits as they waited through the
longest night for the sun to rise. This
marked the sun's victory over darkness; the days would now grow
longer. The cinders from the burnt log were thought to protect
homes from lightning and the evil powers of the devil. Later,
as Christianity spread, the tradition become more closely
associated with Christmas, especially in England where Father
Christmas is often seen carrying the Yule Log. In
pagan times different woods were burned to produce different
effects: Aspen:
invokes understanding of the grand design
Birch:
signifies new beginnings
Holly:
inspires visions and reveals past lives
Oak:
brings healing, strength, and wisdom
Pine:
signifies prosperity and growth
Willow:
invokes the Goddess to achieve desires[8] E.
Holly and mistletoe come from paganism. “The Celtic
culture of the British Isles revered all green plants, but
particularly mistletoe and holly. These were important symbols of
fertility and were used for decorating their homes and altars.”[9]
The
idea of using evergreens at Christmastime also came to England
from pre-Christian northern European beliefs. Celtic and Teutonic
tribes honored these plants at their winter solstice festivals as
symbolic of eternal life, and the Druids ascribed magical
properties to the mistletoe in particular. The evergreen holly was
worshiped as a promise of the sun’s return, and some say that
Christ’s crown of thorns was made of holly.[10] Many
people think that the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is
linked to the Norse myth of Balder, the god of beauty. The myth
relates how Balder dreamed of his own death. His mother, Frigga,
asked every animal and plant to help keep her son safe, but she
forgot to ask the mistletoe and Balder was killed by a mistletoe
arrow. Mistletoe was widely seen as a symbol of fertility, mainly
because it was believed to rejuvenate the trees on which it grew. One
version of the story tells how Frigga finally revived her son
after three days, and, in her happiness, kissed everyone in sight.
She proclaimed that mistletoe would never be used for evil: she
commanded that anyone who stood under mistletoe would kiss as a
sign of love conquering all.[11] F.
Amazingly enough, even the presents come from paganism, but
also a mixture with the celebration of a Catholic saint. The
custom of giving gifts to relatives and friends on a special day
in winter probably began in ancient Rome and northern Europe. In
these regions, people gave each other small presents as part of
their year-end celebrations. By
1100, Saint Nicholas had become a popular symbol of gift giving in
many European countries. According to legend, he brought presents
to children on the eve of his feast day, December 6. Nonreligious
figures replaced Saint Nicholas in certain countries soon after
the Reformation, and December 25 became the day for giving gifts.[12] G.
When you study the history behind the traditions of a
modern Christmas, you find that most of them actually stem from
supposed Christians adopting pagan customs. We don’t fully know
the reasons for this. Some sources suggest it was so Christians
could blend in and not be persecuted for their celebration. Some
suggest it was so Christians could attract and keep the converts
from paganism. However, no one remotely suggests that any of these
customs come from God’s word as authority and equipping to
worship Him or celebrate His Son’s birth. Again, we are struck
with the question, who is the Lord of our lives and worship? If we
are going to celebrate Jesus’ birth, how can we possibly do it
by adopting ancient pagan rituals even if they have lost their
pagan meaning? How can we possibly claim we are acting with
Jesus’ authority when the actions we perform originated with
false gods instead of the one true, living God? III.
Celebrating Christmas: Some Applications. A.
Neither churches nor individual Christians are given the
authority to celebrate Jesus’ birth through the modern Christmas
celebration. How can we claim to be worshiping God in spirit and
truth (John
4:23-24) if we are worshipping our Lord in ways completely
foreign to His word and in ways that originated from pagan
practice? B.
Yet, we should celebrate and rejoice at the birth of our
Savior. Elizabeth did (Luke
1:41-45). The angels did (Luke
2:9-15). The shepherds did (Luke
2:15-18). Simeon and Anna did (Luke
2:25-38). The wise men did (Matthew
2:9-11). But how should we do that? The exact same way we
celebrate everything else about Jesus, by praising God and
thanking God in prayer and song, reading the Scriptures, teaching
the story accurately. The fact is, there is only one aspect of
Jesus’ life that the Scriptures equip us to remember and
celebrate with any special ritual, for lack of a better term. That
event is the death of Jesus that we remember through the weekly
observance of the Lord’s Supper (I
Corinthians 11:23-26). Every other event in His life we
celebrate through prayer, song and Bible study, why would we do
anything differently with His birth when the Scripture provides us
no other authorization. This applies to both the local
congregation and the individual. If you think you are somehow
celebrating the birth of Jesus by setting up and decorating a
tree, putting out lights, eating a huge meal and passing around
presents, you are going beyond what is written, adding to God’s
word and serving God without authorization. C.
We can celebrate secular holidays without religious
significance. We can do so with Christmas as well. I recognize
there is a certain amount of conscience issue here. I highly
respect those who cannot in good conscience celebrate Christmas at
all because of its history or because so many in the world view it
with Christian significance. At the same time, I do believe the
Scripture authorizes us as individual Christians to be involved in
secular and national holidays. There is nothing wrong with
celebrating July 4th, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, etc.
In the same vein, if we are setting aside December 25 as nothing
more than a day to spend time with family, exchange gifts, be nice
and generous, there is nothing wrong with that. 1.
First, perhaps in years past this wasn’t the case, but in
2007 people do not assume you are celebrating Jesus’ birth just
because you celebrate Christmas. “Like Easter it is celebrated
as a secular holiday and a religious holiday.”[13]
“Many non-Christians take joy in the holiday, even accepting
many Christian or Christianized customs, such as Christmas trees
and Christmas songs.”[14]
Thus, participating in the secular celebration does not show
partnership with the religious celebration of some. 2.
Second, none of the activities maintain their pagan
significance today. Decorating a tree with lights and ornaments is
not the same as worshiping a tree. Hanging a wreath on the door is
not honoring the pagan sun gods with the evergreen decoration.
Hanging up mistletoe is not paying homage to the Germanic god
Balder. I encourage each of us to take care if we want to push
this issue. The fact is, we all realize tacitly that a pagan past
does not necessarily define present practice. For instance, none
of us are honoring the god of the sun when we call the day we
assemble together Sunday. Nor are we worshiping the moon on
moonday (Monday). Nor the Germanic gods Tiu, Woden, Thor or Frija
on their respective days Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Nor the Roman god Saturn on Saturn’s day (Saturday). We are not
worshiping the Roman god Janus in January, Mars in March, Maia in
May or Juno in June. Further, we are not celebrating the deity of
Julius or Augustus Caesar in July or August. You see, we recognize
that a pagan background does not equal modern pagan practice. 3.
I believe Colossians
2:20-23 applies to this situation. We know we are not
allowed to do anything without the authority of Jesus Christ, but
in many areas Christ’s word is completely silent about
individual activity. I don’t know how many times I have been
asked when in discussions about authority questions like, “Where
is the New Testament authority for brushing our teeth?” Or
“Where is the New Testament authority for using a camera?” Colossians
2:20-23 explains something about God’s word. When it
comes to prohibitions regarding the individual life, God is
concerned about activities that promote the indulgence of the
flesh. He is not interested in prohibitive rules about issues that
do nothing about the indulgence of the flesh. Decorating trees,
setting out lights, singing Jingle Bells, burning Yule logs, have
nothing to do with indulging the flesh. No doubt, at this time of
year we do need to take care with issues of materialism,
covetousness and gluttony, but the celebration of Christmas itself
doesn’t necessitate those things. If you can, in good
conscience, celebrate the Christmas holiday secularly, without
believing you are trying to worship Jesus or false gods through
your practice and without indulging the flesh, then don’t feel
the need to follow man-made rules of “Do not taste. Do not
handle. Do not touch.” D.
Let’s capitalize on those who do view it religiously. In Acts
17:23, Paul saw the Athenians worshiping an unknown god as
part of their idolatry. However, he did not rebuke them for their
idolatry with the unknown god, he used that as a means to
capitalize on their understanding and make a connection to talk to
them about the real God. I believe we can do the same thing with
holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Right or wrong, good or bad
more people are open to Jesus and attending a church’s
assemblies around Christmas. Instead of constantly rebuking people
for celebrating the holiday unscripturally, instead of castigating
people because the only time they are interested in attending our
assemblies is around this holiday, let’s capitalize on this.
Let’s take this opportunity to talk about Jesus to people.
Let’s take this opportunity to invite people to our assemblies
and classes. Let’s let people know we appreciate that they are
willing to think about Jesus and the church and then use that as a
stepping off place to help lead them into the truth more
accurately. Conclusion:
Again, we have to ask ourselves, who is the Lord of our
life? Who is in control? The reality is, the religious observance
of December 25 didn’t come from Jesus; it came from mixing
paganism with Christianity. It may sound good. It may feel good.
We may think it is a great thing. However, if we cannot come up
with scripture equipping us to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, then
we had better refrain. Let’s honor God His way, because that is
the only way in which He is truly honored. [2] Encyclopedia Americana International Edition, Scholastic Library Publishing Inc, Danbury, CT, 2006 v6, pp 666-7 [5]
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1284&display_order=4&mini_id=1290 [7] Encyclopedia Americana International Edition, Scholastic Library Publishing, inc, Danbury, Connecticut, 2006 v. 6, pp 666-7. [10]
Encyclopedia
Americana International Edition,
Scholastic Library Publishing, inc, Danbury, Connecticut, 2006
v. 6, pp 666-7.
[11] Gods,
Goddesses and Mythology, Marshal Cavendish, New York,
2005, v4, p 516.
[13]
Encyclopedia of
Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals, Frank Salmone,
ed., Routledge, New York, 2004, p 85.
[14] ibid.
p. 86.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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