Christmas
by Scott Shiffer
This Christmas season (which I believe includes Thanksgiving) has been one of much controversy and bickering. The Scrooges of the year are two-fold. First should parties, trees, cards, presents, etc. be called Christmas ______ (fill in the blank) or should they be called Holiday Bla Bla Bla? Secondly, should Churches cancel their services on Christmas Sunday so people can spend the day with their families?
Well let me see if I can briefly answer the first question. Whether a non-believer uses the term Holiday or Christmas is of little concern to me. Christmas is when CHRISTIANS celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ. It is when we take a special moment to thank God for sending His Son to the world so as to provide a way for man to live in fellowship with God. I will celebrate this Holiday as such regardless of its name. Furthermore, the name of the season does not make our country or any other country for that matter somehow closer to God. We need to be sharing the Gospel with those consumed by darkness all around us. Only by sharing our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit will someone be drawn unto the Lord. This should not be something we do at Christmas alone, but something we do year-round. So if a non-Christian wants to call it a Holiday tree, that is fine, he doesn’t understand the full implication of Christmas anyway, but let the believer continue to use the name that encompasses every tradition and is the fulfillment of all we do at this wonderful time of year. Let the Christian boldly say that we are celebrating Christmas, by sending Christmas Cards, putting up a Christmas Tree and Christmas Lights, by giving Christmas Presents, by having friends over for a Christmas Party, by singing Christmas Carols, and by wishing all whom we encounter a Very Merry Christmas.
Now to deal with the second Scrooge. Churches should absolutely not cancel services on Christmas Sunday. That is the most ridiculous thing I think I have ever heard of a Church doing. In fact, I might be as bold to say that that whole idea is just stupid. It is one of the highest Church attendance days of the year, where countless many people are presented the Gospel (many for the first time), and in addition, Christmas is a Celebration of the birth of Christ. What better way to celebrate the birth of our Savior than to meet with the other saints and worship Him! These Churches have their priorities way out of line. I commend any congregation that is more concerned with pleasing God by leaving the doors open than they are with pleasing man (mostly non-Christian man) by closing the doors on such a most sacred day of the year.
What does all this have to do with developing a Christian Worldview of Christmas? Everything. Christians must not forget that the reason this entire season is celebrated is that we our honoring God the Father for giving His Son to be the Atonement for our sins. Let us not look lightly upon this time with irreverence towards our Maker, but instead let us pray to God for Him to make us bold in our faith, firm in our convictions, and strong in our understanding of the greatest Christmas gift of all, the one for whom the time is properly named after—Jesus Christ.
To conclude this section, I would like you to read Luke 2, printed below for your convenience. Please pray as you read this for God to make you aware of Him in all that you do, which relates to this special time of the year. I pray that we will all keep Jesus Christ at the forefront of our minds and warmly in our hearts over the coming weeks.
Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria .
3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth , to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem , because he was of the house and family of David,
5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Jesus Presented at the Temple
21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel ; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel .”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel , and for a sign to be opposed—
35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Return to Nazareth
39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth .
40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.