We are certainly NOT REQUIRED to celebrate Christmas. But there’s no denying that this time of year gives us a GIANT opportunity to remember what God has done for us.
I have a personal mission to be a facilitator between God and my friends. Many of my friends are atheists. Many have only heard the gospel from the mouths of TV preachers. Many think the God of Israel is evil and vengeful. That the whole story of Jesus is nothing but a fable. And for one month, I have the entire world open and willing to hear again the message of when God dropped everything and came down here to save us. That’s an incredible opportunity that cannot be wasted.
Look, for example, at what happened in the Old Testament. God instituted annual festivals whose purpose was to remember God’s deeds. Every year, the people stopped to remember what God had done. These celebrations went on for centuries. Even generation after generation, they still remembered the Exodus from Egypt as if it had happened the day before yesterday.
Opening a parenthesis here. There’s a Judaizing fever that takes hold of Christians from time to time. This is nothing new and was a problem the apostle Paul himself had to deal with as early as the first century. I won’t dwell on this since it’s not the point of this text, but it’s worth reminding the Judaizers — who defend only the celebrations found in the scriptures — that Hanukkah is not in the scriptures.
The focus of Christmas is JESUS! How can anyone say that celebrating Christmas has a pagan meaning?
Ah, but what about the Christmas tree? And the gifts? Well… since you asked, let’s go.
One of the most famous Christmas songs is Oh Christmas Tree (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw_r2YLuFyc). Listen to this song, read its lyrics. The composer’s purpose is clear. He takes a cultural expression (pine trees are very common in northern-hemisphere winters) and inserts the gospel into it. It’s obvious the composer is talking about Jesus, but he uses the Christmas tree to communicate that message poetically.
The same way David said God was a Rock, or the Wind, or a Shepherd. David wasn’t worshiping a Rock when he said that. Just as today’s songwriters don’t think Fire, Rain, the Sea, or a Lion are gods. But you read David’s psalms without that prejudice, and you sing your church’s songs without a problem. Why is the problem only with the little pine tree?
Again, double standard. Don’t confuse a cricket’s poop with a crocodile.
And Christmas gifts? Yes, there may have been a pagan meaning behind it. But not anymore! Simple as that. Humanity received the greatest gift in history when Jesus was born, and I reflect that by giving a gift to my wife, a dinner to my family, or a bigger tip to the waiter.
We have FREEDOM to REINVENT cultural events with a new spiritual meaning.
This is the second post in a series of 3. To read the first click here, and to read the last here.