Merry Christmas
Not 'happy holidays,' but a very merry Christmas to all of you. After all, Jesus is the reason for the Season. Christmas, which is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, is the reason for all of the hoopla and commercialization of what our holiday season has become. But if you think about it, Christmas is a very peculiar holiday. How? Let's see:
1) We are not completely sure that December 25 is the day that Christ was born, but we choose to celebrate it on this day, and this is fine.
2) We give each other gifts. I wonder how this transpired? I'm sure some of you theologians and historians have an answer to this question. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the magi brought gifts to Christ. If this is so, how did that event get turned into giving gifts to each other?
3) Just how in the world did Santa Claus some into the picture? I'm talking about Santa, the reindeer, his sleigh, the North Pole, the whole nine yards. I know there are a multitude of stories about white-bearded fellows bringing gifts to children but where and why did these stories develop and how did they get assimilated into the celebration of our Savior's birth?
4) Christmas trees: What do they have to do with Christ? I'm sure there is a logical explanation and no true Christian would claim that Christmas trees are a necessity for the holiday but can you imagine Christmas without one? I cannot. My family and friends would think that Emily and I had flipped if we all of a sudden announced we were not going to have a Christmas tree. Is there something inherently wrong with having a Christmas tree? I don'think so but there is nothing 'right' about it either.
I write this to prove a point about how much tradition factors into every day life. "Tradition" has more influence on our lives then I think most people would be willing to admit. How you celebrate Christmas, where you celebrate Christmas, and who you celebrate it with are all very much influenced by tradition. Tradition also influences decisions we make about churches we attend (or if we are pastors, how we "do church,") or if we do not attend church at all. For instance, if we grow up with atheist parents, our tradition will be vastly different from that of Christian "culture."
I write all of this for one reason: All of these traditions that we have for the Christmas season are not inherently wrong, but, oh, how Satan is smiling at how what should be the most important holiday of the year, (outside of Easter Sunday), has been tainted and polluted to take the glory off of God and impute it, if you will, to man. As my father says, "Man always finds a way to screw things up." Amen to that, dad.
So in the remainder of "holiday season," let's try to keep in mind just where all of this celebration and family time came from: the birth of a little baby boy who was both man and God and who came to the world, humbly and humilated, to save His fallen creatures from His wrath.
1) We are not completely sure that December 25 is the day that Christ was born, but we choose to celebrate it on this day, and this is fine.
2) We give each other gifts. I wonder how this transpired? I'm sure some of you theologians and historians have an answer to this question. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the magi brought gifts to Christ. If this is so, how did that event get turned into giving gifts to each other?
3) Just how in the world did Santa Claus some into the picture? I'm talking about Santa, the reindeer, his sleigh, the North Pole, the whole nine yards. I know there are a multitude of stories about white-bearded fellows bringing gifts to children but where and why did these stories develop and how did they get assimilated into the celebration of our Savior's birth?
4) Christmas trees: What do they have to do with Christ? I'm sure there is a logical explanation and no true Christian would claim that Christmas trees are a necessity for the holiday but can you imagine Christmas without one? I cannot. My family and friends would think that Emily and I had flipped if we all of a sudden announced we were not going to have a Christmas tree. Is there something inherently wrong with having a Christmas tree? I don'think so but there is nothing 'right' about it either.
I write this to prove a point about how much tradition factors into every day life. "Tradition" has more influence on our lives then I think most people would be willing to admit. How you celebrate Christmas, where you celebrate Christmas, and who you celebrate it with are all very much influenced by tradition. Tradition also influences decisions we make about churches we attend (or if we are pastors, how we "do church,") or if we do not attend church at all. For instance, if we grow up with atheist parents, our tradition will be vastly different from that of Christian "culture."
I write all of this for one reason: All of these traditions that we have for the Christmas season are not inherently wrong, but, oh, how Satan is smiling at how what should be the most important holiday of the year, (outside of Easter Sunday), has been tainted and polluted to take the glory off of God and impute it, if you will, to man. As my father says, "Man always finds a way to screw things up." Amen to that, dad.
So in the remainder of "holiday season," let's try to keep in mind just where all of this celebration and family time came from: the birth of a little baby boy who was both man and God and who came to the world, humbly and humilated, to save His fallen creatures from His wrath.
posted by Charlie Wallace at
9:29 PM
2 Comments:
There is irony in this post ... I preached this message this morning for our people. Amazing! Did you hack my computer or did I yours?
HIS NAME IS GREAT AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED
Charles, I think Christmas is a dubious and unhelpful festival derived from paganism. I participate in it only because my family do.
God Bless
Matthew
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