We gather in our homes with our loved ones to feast and to give gifts. And we walk around wishing one another a merry Christmas. But are we right to do all this? Is it healthy for us, as disciples of Jesus, to give this holiday such an important place on our calendars, and to observe it in the ways we do?
Or, perhaps, have we uncritically accepted rites, practices, and symbols that are irredeemably pagan and opposed to the worship of the one true God into our lives and churches?
Not surprisingly, there is no shortage of voices claiming that the latter is indeed what is happening when Christians celebrate Christmas. So what do we do? As with many things, we first recognize this as an area where Christians can, in good conscience, agree to disagree. The church should be a place where people who have strong convictions on controversial topics should be able to fellowship alongside those who do not, or even those who are convinced otherwise.
This means being slow to pass judgment on one another and being sensitive to those who are weak of conscience. In fact, it is impossible to avoid doing so.
With respect to Christmas, for instance, a church must decide either to observe it or not. And if we do observe it, we must decide how. There is no way to truly remain neutral. So, as a pastor of a church that does celebrate Christmas, I offer the following comments to those who are interested, with a desire to foster both unity and critical thinking.
Is Christmas a Holiday with Pagan Roots? It is often claimed that many of the trappings we associate with Christmas have their origins in non-Christian religion. On the Roman calendar, December 25 is the date of the winter solstice, the day when the North Pole tilts the furthest from the sun, producing the shortest span of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere during the year.
In ancient Rome, this was preceded by Saturnalia, a festival honoring the Roman deity Saturn, which featured, among other things, candle lighting, feasts, evergreen wreaths, and gift giving.
According to the first-century Roman historian Pliny the Elder, mistletoe was used by Celtic druids in a healing ritual. It has been suggested that much of the Santa Clause imagery derived from Yuletide depictions of the Norse god Odin or Wodin , who had a white beard and flew through the sky on an eight-legged horse to deliver gifts. It should be noted that links between Christmas and pagan religion are not as clear as is often claimed.
Three examples are in order. First, Pliny again, a first-century author is the only reference to mistletoe use among the druids and his report may be based on hearsay , and we have no records of Christmas being celebrated until AD. Augustine, for instance, suggested that God chose the shortest day to underscore the humility of his Son.
And Scripture by no means prohibits their use for the setting of important dates. Display a Nativity Scene. Set it up wherever you like. On the mantel is popular, because it's a very prominent place.
You can set it up all at once, or you can add everyone but baby Jesus, and only add him on Christmas Eve. Some people even put baby Jesus on the other side of the room and move him closer to the Nativity every evening, like a countdown, until he's in the manger on Christmas Eve. Assess your present giving.
Do you think this is showing the Christian's Christmas spirit? If not, try to tone it down. Let relatives know you won't be giving expensive gifts, or even any gifts if you chose, this year. Or you could suggest a drawing and everyone only buys one other person one present. For your children, perhaps include something religious in their gifts. Send a letter to Santa, suggesting that he leave a bible in each child's stockings.
Talk to your family. If you have older children or teens and haven't celebrated a very Christian Christmas before they aren't going to understand the change. Tell them and any other family members it may concern that you want to celebrate Christmas for Jesus. Explain why it's important to you in a calm fashion. Sing Christmas carols.
Either donate or volunteer with your favourite charity. Remember, Christ always taught that we are to love our neighbours and help them whenever we can. Love thy neighbor. Christmas is a great time to demonstrate the Christian value of loving your neighbors.
Be considerate of your neighbors during Christmas, offer help if they need it or be sociable with well wishes, a card or even a gift. Go to church and worship. Thank God for sending his only son to save us. Yes No. Not Helpful 6 Helpful Why do "Biblical Christians" celebrate this pagan day despite the Bible saying not to?
I understand with carnal Christians, as they are "in name only", but those who follow scripture should know better! The Bible says not to take out a loan with interest, eat shrimp, or wear clothes made of two different materials at the same time. The Old Testament was created to create order in what was, at the time, a very chaotic world. Jesus often went against the Old Testament; he traveled and healed on the Sabbath and spared an adulterous woman from stoning, among other things.
Not Helpful 7 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Though it is of course up to you, don't cut out gift giving all together. The Three Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus, and it's okay to give gifts to children, friends, and relatives. Just don't go completely overboard. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Children can have a difficult time with religion. The significance of the birth of Christ has become lost as people celebrate the season rather than celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.
Satan has distorted our world and of course does not want us to celebrate the first coming of Christ. If you are giving presents out during Christmas time, it should be a representation of the gift God gave us. Thus, buying gifts for someone you love because you want to show them how much you appreciate them for who they are is not wrong.
Instead, you are to have the mindset that giving gifts represents the love that God the Father has for you and the reminder that He sent His one and only Son down to earth to live and die so that you may receive the free gift of salvation. Another concern is that Christmas trees are not biblical.
People take the passage in Jeremiah where the prophet writes about not cutting down a tree and then carving it into an idol, decorating it with silver and gold, and bowing down to worship before it.
Isaiah also speaks on this same issue. People may take delight in looking at Christmas trees, but Christians do not bow down to their Christmas trees to worship them. We worship only Jesus. Putting up a Christmas tree in your home and placing ornaments on it and putting presents under the tree is not idolatry. This is not what your life centers around. This passage is not a logical argument against Christmas trees. We must be careful not to take a passage out of context from the bible. Another concern some Christians have is that in the Old Testament, God gave very specific commands for how to celebrate festivals and not take part in other cultures.
In the Old Testament, God did indeed command them to keep certain festivals and to abstain from other cultural worship. However, the festivals that God commanded the Israelites to keep no longer need to be kept because they were a shadow of the coming of Jesus Christ. If we continued keeping those festivals in awaiting the first coming of the Messiah, then we have missed it. Now we get to celebrate the coming of Christ by remembering His birth, death, and resurrection. Some Christians also quote Colossians to prove that as Christians, we should not celebrate a festival that is not biblical.
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. However, this passage of scripture does not command believers from celebrating the birth of Christ if it is done in a way that honors God. Celebrating Christmas is not a duty that you have to do as a Christian, but is a time where you get to celebrate the first coming of Christ with joy and hope, looking forward to His second coming when we shall all be with Him forever.
Another concern is that Christ was probably not born in December. Thus, why should we celebrate His birth on December 25th? Christmas can be a day where you remember to honor the birth of Christ and praise God for sending His one and only Son down to earth in the form of a baby. As Christians, we are no longer under the law of sin and death and thus are free to live in Christ. We can celebrate Christmas with our eyes on Jesus and our gaze on eternal things rather than the material things of this world.
Since the very beginning, when sin entered the world and man was separated from God, God has promised to save and redeem those who trust in Him. This has been His promise over and over again until Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His promise was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross and rose again. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
This is something that we as Christians can celebrate! Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we would be lost to sin and death forever. But, because Jesus came, lived, died, rose again, and ascended back to His Father, we who put our trust in Him will be saved and can lived forever with Him!
During Christmas, we can remember the miracle of the virgin birth Luke Jesus Christ is God incarnate, both fully God and fully man at the same time. Through the Holy Spirit, a young virgin girl named Mary conceived and had a son, who is the Son of God. By coming to earth, He left His glory, throne, and home behind so that one day we could be reconciled with the Father.
Through His death, resurrection, and ascension, we now are restored to a perfect relationship with God the Father. This is incredible news! This was a miraculous move of God that was promised generations beforehand but has now happened.
This is a cause for great celebration! This is one of the reasons why we as Christians can celebrate Christmas. During Christmas, we can also celebrate Jesus as our Lord of lords and King of kings. His first coming was the promise that God has given to generations before us, and He was born to reign and rule over this world and our hearts. As Christians, we can also celebrate during Christmas that Jesus is the Light of the world.
In His is no darkness at all, and in Him is the light of life 1 John
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