Christmas Observations
- James Ward
- Dec 18, 2017
- 5 min read
The word "Christmas" comes from "Christ mass", the special mass performed in Roman Catholicism to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Here is the page from Catholic Encyclopedia if you'd like to know more about Catholic traditions and their beliefs about Christmas.
21st century American culture also celebrates a holiday called Christmas. There is excessive decoration of winter themes, evergreen trees, snowmen, and wreaths. There is also a prominent focus on decorative lights and things that twinkle and sparkle, like garland and tinsel. People put decorations on porches and yards, and strings of lights across their houses. They also put trees inside of their homes, usually plastic trees these days, on which they also put lights, as well as ornaments, and tinsel or garland, and traditionally a star or an angel sits on top. The majority of people who do all of these things have absolutely no idea why they do it, and would never even care to stop and think about it. They do it because everyone else does it, because it's a tradition.
There is also heavy use of the figure of Santa Claus. Parents buy gifts for their children, hide them until the night before Christmas, wrap them in colorful paper, then secretly put them under the tree and convince the kids that Santa Claus is the one who magically brought the gifts while everyone was asleep. Many families will meet together for a special meal on Christmas day, even coming from very far away.
The cultural holiday called Christmas has very little to do with Jesus. The focus is on winter themes, family, magic, and mostly the giving of gifts. There can be a great deal of stress felt by those who "celebrate" this holiday because there is pressure to buy gifts. People sometimes feel guilty if they can't afford to buy everyone a gift, or maybe they feel inadequate because they can't afford gifts that are more expensive. The mailing of themed greeting cards is also a form of gift-giving.
This holiday is celebrated in one form or another by people of many different views and religious beliefs. People are very comfortable with taking whatever pieces they like about Christmas and discarding the rest. Usually Jesus Christ is the first to be discarded. There are Jews who put Christmas trees in their homes and put lights on their houses, but completely ignore the aspect of the birth of the Jewish Messiah. It's not religious, it's cultural. Many atheists and religious agnostics freely pick and choose pieces that they like, or they may reject the entire holiday because it still carries an undertone of Christ and it offends them. The cultural holiday called Christmas is not about Jesus, but most people know it started with Him.
In the religious sense, Christmas is primarily a Catholic holiday that some Protestants also celebrate religiously, in their own ways, in different forms. Other Protestants choose to conscientiously not participate in the holiday because of its Catholic roots. In the cultural sense, Christmas is just a generic holiday, which is not religious, and is much more accommodating to non-Christians. Over time, Christmas has slowly developed into what it is today. But there is nothing from church history that shows any early Christians celebrating Christmas. It didn't seem to matter to them what day of the year Christ was born, or what time of year, or even which year He was born. They didn't seem to even acknowledge the need to celebrate a yearly commemoration of His birth in any form.
The Bible does not tell us to celebrate Christmas. It's completely silent on the issue. Each individual Christian is left to their own conscience whether they want to abstain from whatever they choose to abstain from, or to celebrate whatever they want to celebrate, as long as they do it for the Lord, and with a clear conscience. Christian liberty allows us to celebrate Christmas if we want to, or to not celebrate it if we don't want to. (Colossians 2, Galatians 5, Romans 14)
We are not required to treat December 25th as special at all. There's nothing in the Bible about celebrating the birth of Christ on a special day of the year. But if you want to, there is absolutely nothing wrong with picking a single day and celebrating it as His birthday. We are free to choose. There are some Christians who argue that we're sinning if we don't celebrate Christmas, and some argue that we're sinning if we do participate in it. Both groups are trying to impose their own consciences onto other people. But we're free in this matter. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival (holiday) or a new moon or a Sabbath day" (Colossians 2:16)
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17)
"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.'
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." (Romans 14:4-14)
Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading. God bless.
Comments