Trying to turn into sin something that is not sin is Legalism. The attempt to take a man’s law and turn it into a law of God is legalism, and that is one of the greatest mistakes of evangelicals. While Jesus broke every barrier to become human and create a connection between the entire human race and God, we keep trying to build barriers. It seems to me that, for these legalists, if I celebrate Jesus’ birth, I’m doing something wrong.
For these legalists, we can’t have trees, or lights, or gifts. But if we look at their habits, with absolute certainty we’ll find practices whose ideological origin is highly questionable. Celebrating someone’s birthday, holding a “wake” for a body, cooking beans, eating rare meat, wearing underwear, stretching, practicing a martial art, playing soccer… and so on. Today these practices no longer carry the same meaning they had when they were created. But even so, they try to apply different weights and measures. They try to create even more separations between God and man.
The focus of Christmas is JESUS! How can anyone say that celebrating Christmas has a pagan meaning?
A coin, in itself, has no meaning. Maybe it even has some value, but it has no meaning until the moment the mint gives it one. From that instant on, it’s worth 10 cents of a cruzeiro. Until another government comes along and decides we’ll have other coins, and then that coin loses all its meaning. Yesterday you could buy a coxinha with that coin; today you can’t.
Yes, a tree inside a house in winter may have meant nature worship 500 years ago. But not today, not in my house, not when I celebrate Jesus’ birth.
My tree reminds me of my grandparents’ house, and at my grandparents’ house the Christmas story was always the story of Jesus’ birth. Therefore the Christmas tree, for me, carries the feelings of Christmas, and as such, it’s part of the way I culturally celebrate the greatest gift I’ve ever received.
It’s important to separate the meaning of Christmas from the spirit of Christmas. The meaning of Christmas is theological; the spirit of Christmas is emotional.
Christmas is not love, peace, generosity… Christmas IS JESUS.
What I feel at Christmas is the result of my past experiences. And that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with Jesus.
I know people who lost loved ones near Christmas. For them, the feeling of Christmas is sadness. The music, the decorations, all of it generates sadness in their hearts. The meaning of Christmas is still Jesus, but the feeling is sadness.
The fact that we Christians culturally celebrate Christmas on the 25th is arbitrary. We could/should celebrate it on any/every day of the year, since the basic message of Christmas is that God Is With Us (Emmanuel).
If during Christmas I have pines and lights, that’s just a cultural expression tied to my emotions, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Never. Never confuse the ping pong ball with king kong’s balls.
This is the last post in a series of 3. To read the first click here.