Individual
churches however may have Christmas themed sermons around this time.
That is my
only objective today.
Through the
centuries some have argued for doing away with the observance of Christmas
completely.
Oliver
Cromwell tried to ban Christmas in Britain after the beheading of King Charles the
First.
That attempt
to abolish Christmas didn’t last long.
My question I
want to propose to you today is rhetorical.
I am not
looking for an answer, but the question I do have is,
“Since the majority of the civilized Christian world today recognizes
Christmas, why not use it as an evangelical tool?”
I personally
do not and never did buy into the commercialism of the Holiday.
Even as a
young child, I found it disconcerting that many people didn’t attend church at
any time of the year but did celebrate Christmas!
Today, I
find it just as disconcerting that many people in the Seventh Day Adventist
denomination go to church on the true Sabbath, Saturday, but refuse to
celebrate the birth of Christ when the rest of the world does.
Many iconoclasts,
people who attack cherished religious beliefs or institutions, point to the
fact that Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival to honor the god Saturn, is the
pagan origins of Christmas.
I will agree
that there are certain pagan elements associated with Christmas, such as yule
logs, that I do reject.
The reason
for rejecting the yule log is that the custom of burning the Yule Log is rooted
only in pagan rituals.
The Yule Log
is traditionally thought to determine a person's good or bad luck in the coming
year.
Based on the
Bible, I do not think that is where our good or bad luck comes from, but that
is another sermon for another time.
For me,
celebrating the Lord’s wonderful birth, and the mysterious circumstances
surrounding it, isn’t pagan.
The reason
for this is because his origins is heavenly, and this is pointed out in the word
of God, the Bible.
God’s loving
acts including the mystery of the Incarnation are the true
origins of “Christmas.”
The Hebrew
name for “Christmas”, is interpreted in English as, “Holiday of The Birth”.
So, what are
some of these loving acts that are pointed out in the Bible:
·
First,
the announcement of the Incarnation by the angel Gabriel to Mary instructing
Mary to name her son Yehoshua which means. “Jesus is salvation”.
o
Turn
to Luke 1:26–31,
§ And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary. And the angel
came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is
with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her
mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour
with God. And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
·
Second,
the providential circumstances of the census in Bethlehem,
o
Turn
to Luke 2:
§ And it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
taxed....And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of
the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David; to be taxed with
Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered. And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
·
Third,
the heavenly host in Shepherds’ Fields,
o
Turn
to Luke 2:8-14
§ And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
·
Fourth,
the Baby Jesus presented in the Temple and Simeon’s sweeping prophecy,
o
Turn
to Luke 2:25-32
§ And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy
Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple:
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom
of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which
thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
·
Fifth,
the visit of the majestic Magi from the East with gifts of gold, frankincense
and myrrh, the Holy Family’s escape into Egypt.
o
Turn
to Matthew 2:9-11
§ When they had heard the king, they
departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till
it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy. And when they were
come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell
down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they
presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
All these Loving
acts of God as documented in His Word captured my attention even as a young
child and are worthy of adoration and contemplation and should be celebrated.
That is what
the Christmas holiday is all about. That
is why, as a Christian we need to recognize this season and tell the world the
truth about what this season is about.
We are
missing one of the greatest evangelical gifts given to us by God, as is clearly
documented in the Bible.
So, what are
the problems that some people have with celebrating Christmas.
The debate
about whether Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for
centuries.
There are
equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with
multiple reasons why or why not to celebrate Christmas.
One argument
against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday do have
origins in paganism.
Searching
for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many
of the Christmas traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one
another.
Bells,
candles, holly, and yule logs are mentioned in the history
of pagan worship, but the use of these in one’s home certainly does not
indicate a return to paganism.
My family
celebrated Christmas ever since I can remember.
From my
earliest years, the birth of Jesus was at the center of everything we
did during the Christmas season.
Every
Christmas Eve we went to the Church to honor Christ’s birth.
It was
always pointed out why we gave each other gifts, it was a way to honor His
birth, the way the Magi did.
In the
spirit of giving a gift to someone else, we bring joy into their lives, the
same way the gift God gave us on Christmas day, His only begotten Son, brings
joy into our lives.
This was a
gift to us directly from God’s hand, and some Christians refuse to honor this
Gift?
Traditions
of Christmas are Biblically factual.
A star is
placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem that
led the Magi to Jesus.
The gifts
that are exchanged remind us of the gifts the Magi gave to Mary and Joseph to
honor Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.
There are
many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas which is the
birth of the Savior of the world in the city of Bethlehem.
Bells are
played to ring out the joyous news.
Candles are
lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world:
Turn to John
1:4-9,
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness comprehended it not. There was
a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe. He was not
that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.
Another
argument against Christmas is the Christmas tree, and the false belief that the
Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them.
The passage
often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees,
chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver
and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it.
The passage
in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate
argument against Christmas trees.
My family had
a Christmas tree in our house ever since I can remember and I never remember my
parents, or any friends or relatives ever bowing down to the tree and
worshipping it.
Usually by
New Year’s Day my dad was happy to unceremoniously take it down and get rid of
it by putting it is the trash!
Does this
sound like something anyone would do to something they worshipped?
Christians
who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us
the date of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true.
December 25 is
not the time Jesus was born, and arguments for this idea are legion.
Some
relating to the climate in Israel at that time of the year, the practices of
shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking.
Some see
this as proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth.
But that is
the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well
as religions such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity altogether.
If any of
this made any type of practical sense’ then we should not celebrate Thanksgiving
either.
The event
that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated
by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October of 1621.
We celebrate
it on November 25.
Christians
who do celebrate Christmas, use this opportunity as an evangelical tool to
proclaim Jesus Christ as “the reason for the season” to all nations and
to those trapped in false religions.
There just
is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas unless you take
scripture out of context and use it to promote your own agenda.
At the same
time, I will say that there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either.
In the end, whether
to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision.
Whatever
Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as
a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor
should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over
celebrating or not celebrating.
James 1:5 says,
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally…”.
So, before
you start to cast stones at those who do not share your views on Christmas, consider
an important instruction given by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2: 16:
“Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, or a Sabbath day.”
Colossians
2:16 is such an important verse to hang onto when people start to bully you
because you worship the Lord on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, or if you eat
non-kosher food, or meat, or if you celebrate the Lord’s birth on a certain
date.
Paul assures
us of the liberty we have in the Messiah, and so we can celebrate the Lord’s
birth any time and how we seem fit.
I also like
Colossians 2:17 concludes the thought:
“So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of
diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast
before what was to come; the substance is Christ……”
But, you
might ask…. what about Santa Claus?
Although St.
Nicholas was an historical figure with a reputation for secret gift-giving, the
“Santa Claus” and Father Christmas narratives of today are stretching the truth
to say the least.
We all recognize
that lying is a sin.
I’m grateful
that I was brought up in a Christian home by parents who didn’t lie to us.
But, let me
ask you this, when a four-year-old asks you where babies come from do you give him
or her all the clinical details on how a baby is conceived, or do you give them
information that a four year old can understand and handle without traumatizing
them for life.
With my
children, I chose the latter, and I DID THE SAME with the idea of Santa Clause.
When I read
them the poem, “The Night before Christmas,”, it was not to lie to them, it was
to protect their innocence.
When they
grew older, they knew it was just a story, and Santa wasn’t a real person and
reindeer really can’t fly, just like they knew in cartoons, that Donald Duck or
Bugs bunny were not actually depicting real animals that could talk.
Through the
years we made good use of Christmas celebrations as opportunities to share
Jesus, the Gospel and God with our kids.
We also used
it as a time to teach our kids of the idea of reaching out to the poor and
needy and to share.
Whenever Christians
focus on the manger scene, we have to take this opportunity to share the bigger
picture.
Christmas
celebrates God giving us a gift and that gift is His son who died for our sins.
Jesus is
coming a second time, not as a meek and mild lamb but as the roaring lion of
the tribe of Judah!
In the Book
of Revelation we’re permitted to see the high court of heaven, and in
Revelation 5:5 Jesus is called the lion of the tribe of Judah.
The first
time Jesus came: his glory and majesty were veiled in the form of a helpless
child.
Turn to Luke
2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn.
Only a few
attended His arrival. Turn to Luke
2:15-18:
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made
known unto us. And they came with
haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known
abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those
things which were told them by the shepherds.
Jesus came
as a sacrificial lamb. But make no mistake about it, the next time Jesus comes,
He will be recognized by all.
The Bible
says every eye will behold Him and every knee will bow.
If there
were wonders when Messiah first came, there will be greater wonders when He
comes the second time!
During the
Christmas season, I encourage you to marvel at the incarnation of Messiah in
the virgin’s womb but also remember that He’s alive and he’s getting ready to
return.
Along with
His birth we do need to preach what was the purpose of the Lord’s first coming?
Hebrews 9:28
says that He “was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
This is the
foundation of the Gospel.
Messiah was
born as a gift to die for our sins. God’s
holy law has been violated by humans and death is required as a penalty. But the Messiah died in our stead.
That is our
true Christmas gift and Christmas is the perfect time of the year to spread
this news.
That’s the
doctrine of the Atonement.
Benjamin
Franklin once said, “There’s nothing certain but death and taxes.”
But, I say
there’s one thing even more certain—and that’s the gift of Jesus Christ and His
Second Coming.
1
Thessalonians 4:16;
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first:
He will
gather those of us who wait for him unto salvation.
His promise
in John 14 is,
“if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again
to receive you unto myself, that where I am you may be also.”
This is what
we should use the Christmas season to proclaim.
The baby in
the manger is a very important part of the picture, because God become flesh
and dwelt amongst us, but the baby in the manger is not the final picture.
In Acts 1,
the disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Davidic
kingdom to Israel?”
His answer
startled them. He said that before he returns and sets up rule in Jerusalem,
FIRST his disciples must preach the Gospel to all nations!
Yes, all
this is part of the Gospel message and we should spend the lions share of our
evangelical efforts to proclaim this message, but Christmas day, today, is the
perfect time of the year to get the message of the birth of Jesus across to the
entire world, because the entire rest of the world is tuned in on this single
day in the year.
Maybe this
day is when we could hold their attention the other fifty two weeks of the year.
There’s a
Christmas carol called titled: “I’ll
Give him my heart, it goes like this;
What can I give Him poor as I am
If I were a shepherd, I would bring Him a Lamb
If I were a wise man, I’d sure do my part
So what can I give Him?
I’ll give Him my heart!
Spend this
time of the year doing that.
Remember:
This is Christ the King,
Whom Shepherds guard and Angels sing.
Hast, haste to bring Him Laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
We need to
do this on Christmas day.
Oh come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
