Have a Holly Jolly CHRISTMAS but...

Let no man judge you…

(in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday…)

Colossians 2:16a (KJV)

It has been said that there are two Christmases, one where the body of Christ observes the birth of a savior and one that the rest of the world uses as an excuse to party. Despite this, every holiday season the unlearned and theologically challenged, along with the grinches and scrooges that inspire them, accuse true Christians of “worshipping” God in the same manner that pagans worship their false gods. We do not. For true Christians (followers and worshippers of Jesus) Christmas is not simply a time of worship and praise, for we do that all the yearlong.  

 Like most, we view the period between mid to late November through early January as the proverbial Season to be Jolly.  During this time masses of people of all walks of life, to include non-Christians, accentuate the celebration of the glorious birth of our Savior and King, Christ Jesus.  

 It is a time of festival for some and a season of happiness for kids from one to ninety-two. Even those who know not Christ take time to celebrate during this time of year. However, truth be told, a majority of these “celebrations” are ungodly and have nothing to do with the incarnation.  Sinners and the ungodly view the holiday season as simply another reason to party, get drunk and frolic, and to play. But though different people base their celebrations on many different things, ours is based on the incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ! There is a colossal difference between a celebration and actual worship. The saints of God love to celebrate too, but our worship is different. Our worship is performed in spirit and in truth. It is a demonstration of our love and how we extol God in the person of Jesus Christ.  Unlike others, when we celebrate, we have a good time while basking in the joys and benefits of God’s providence. 

It’s interesting to note that many of the pastors that criticize the celebration of Christmas never complain when their churches sponsor elaborate weeklong anniversary service celebrations in God’s sanctuary while collecting thousands of dollars for their own personal gain and enjoyment. For them, their anniversary month is the most lucrative time of the year. We don’t complain about your anniversary service where you celebrate you, and we will thank you to not tamper with our celebration of Jesus!

 Christmas is wonder filled for children and wonderful for adults. We gather with family that we don’t often see.  We enjoy food that we don’t often eat. We travel to places that we don’t often visit.  We sing songs that we don’t often sing and give gifts in ways that we don’t often give. The sights, the sounds, the love, the lights, the fellowship and more, all combine to make our reunions and remembrance of the birth of Jesus indeed The Most Wonderful Time of The Year! 

(But is it pagan – is it wrong?) 

For some Christmas critics, however, Christmas is a time of vast theological confusion. 

 Every year I encounter religious folks who are confused about Christmas and its traditions. They believe the Bible forbids Christmas trees.  They accuse people who celebrate Christmas of being “pagan”. Some of them even believe that the cartoon character “Santa Claus” is somehow related to the satan (the adversary) simply because the two names share the same letters. This of course is all nonsense. People who oppose Christmas have no solid Biblical foundation on which to base their claims. There’s not enough room in the article to make the full case for the yuletide season, so here are ten facts pertaining to Christmas that yuletide critics need to remember.                     

10 Facts about Christmas 

1.     There is no passage in the Bible that refers to Christmas trees. 

2.     There are no Christians who worship their Christmas tree.

3.     The Bible does not mention or forbid decorating a “Christmas tree”. 

4.     The story of Santa Claus has nothing at all to do with the devil.

5.     Most children’s cartoons today are very inappropriate and offensive; the Santa story is not. 

6.     The Bible does not forbid engaging in or enjoying traditions of men.

7.     Christmas critics engage in practices every day that originated from “pagans”.

8.     Most People that refer to Christmas as “pagan” can’t even define the word pagan.

9.     We know that Jesus was not born on December 25th.

10.   We know that Jesus was not born in a manger. (I threw that one in for fun.)

But to be clear, all people everywhere engage in things that originated with pagans. Just like many of the traditions surrounding Christmas, there is practically nothing that we do today that cannot be traced back to pagan usage and pagan origin. We know that many of our traditions at Christmas time originated with people who did not know or worship God; but if we were to judge Christmas based on that model, there are a few other issues that need to be examined. Judge in yourself.  What matters most?  Where a particular thing comes from or how we deal with the that thing once it arrives? If you’re offended by Christmas and believe it’s pagan, you must also admit the following: 

·      The days of the week are pagan.

·      The statue of liberty is pagan. 

·      The Nike logo (swoosh symbol) is pagan. (The wing of a false goddess)

·      Wedding rings are pagan.

·      Birthday celebrations are pagan.

·      Labor Day is pagan. 

·      The month of May is pagan (dedicated to Maia, ancient goddess of fire and fertility).

·      In 4 B.C. Julius Caesar dedicated January 1st to the pagan god, Janus.

·      Christian crosses like the one that Jesus died on came from pagan origins.  

Plus, a whole lot more. This goes to show that even though a thing has pagan origins, it can still be changed to either glorify God or suit us today. 

The fact of the matter is, it’s impossible to escape encountering things that (used to be) connected to pagans. It’s also a tongue in cheek reality; we all used to be “pagans” before God picked us up, cleaned us off and began using us in His service. But no matter what we do, it should be done to the glory of God.  The apostle Paul gives us a bit of clarity in his writing in the books of Romans and Colossians. 

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.

Romans 14:5 (KJV)

It has been said that there are two Christmases.  One features commercialism and excess eating, drinking, and spending, while the other Christmas abounds with love, hope, peace, joy, and adoration of the One whom we worship and whose birth we are invited to celebrate.  

            I would like to encourage every child of God to keep Christ in your Christmas for He is our redeemer.  Examine yourselves and be certain that your Christmas is celebrated in honor of and in the presence of our Lord regardless of what “the world” is doing.

·      Our singing at Christmas should be to His glory with Christ as the central theme.  

·      Our evergreen Christmas trees should point to the eternal life that parallels the evergreen’s survival throughout every season. 

·      Our Christmas lights should represent the children of God who are the light of the world. 

·      Our treetop star should represent the star of Bethlehem which led wise men to our Lord as He slept in a manger. 

·      Our gift-giving should also point to the spirit of the season as God who so loved the world that He gave. (John 3:16)      

Finally, friends,

As the season draws near,

keep Christ in your sight.

Merry Christmas to all

and to all a “good night”.