68 Days Till Christmas: Some Musings

That magical time of the year is getting closer and closer. The malls and stores have been playing holiday music since September and setting the mood for the season. Are you getting ready? We are. Some people have already put up their decorations, but we don't until after Thanksgiving Day. To each his or her own.

Ancient roots

Nearly every part of the Christmas season and the observance of December 25th has its roots in Roman custom and religion. The 2nd century after the birth of Jesus was the first recorded Christmas we know about from history. The celebration centered around the Roman Saturnalia, an annual harvest festival that marked the winter solstice, that is, the return of the sun, which served to give honor to Saturn, the Roman god of sowing.

It was a season of debauchery that ticked off the more rigid of the Roman citizens. In 529 A.D., Emperor Justinian made Christmas a national holiday - replacing the worship of the sun with worship of the Son, Jesus. December hasn't been the same since.

But some Christians say celebrating Christmas is a sin.

Christmas celebration a sin?

Say it isn't so! (I don't believe it). The Roman Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911 penned by Origen stated it this way: "…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world."

Whoa. Pretty harsh! The Christians that do not celebrate Christmas quote Mark 7:7 as a verse (among others in Jeremiah and elsewhere) that supposedly proves that celebrating Christmas is a sin. The verse reads: "They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

Context

But let's hold up a minute. Well meaning believers take the verse out of its proper context. It was directed at the Pharisees who manipulated God's law so they could benefit from it. Therefore, celebrating Christmas does not reject any commandment of God in order to keep a tradition. Are we straight?

Now, if our conscience tells us that Christmas celebrations are a sin, then we should refrain from celebrating the holiday. On the other hand, there is nothing sinful about the celebration unless we are involved with any associated debauchery.

So let's lighten up and cease from being modern Pharisees!

At the same time, whatever belief you hold, let's not hold the position we take in pride or self-righteousness. If others do not desire to celebrate Christmas, that is perfectly fine. We should not flaunt our celebration in their faces nor should they condemn those of us who celebrate it.

Furthermore, God forbid that we would think of ourselves as wiser, smarter, more inclined to obedience, and even more holier than another individual who does not celebrate the annual holiday. Let's keep that in mind, shall we?

The key to celebrating Christmas

Personally, we have a long family tradition of honoring Christ at Christmas. In other words, Jesus is the reason for the season. Was He born on Christmas Day? Nope. But that's okay. I'll refrain from the argument that justifies this for now, but suffice it to say that Jesus was born sometime in the fall before the rains began to fall which kept the shepherds out of the fields as was customary.

We bake a cake for Jesus. Again, December 25th isn't His birthday. But it is what we do to honor His birth, whatever day it was. We also decorate the inside and outside of the house.

We give gifts and have already bought several and wrapped them early. We lead busy lives around here so last minute rushing is always avoided whenever possible. Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.

The primary way we celebrate is by renewing our vows to one another and, of course, honoring Jesus for who He is: God manifested in the flesh, who bore the sins of all who would trust in Him by faith alone. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, an was raised to life after three days. He appeared to over 500 people in His glorified flesh.

Final musings

Whatever you choose to do insofar as Christmas is concerned is entirely your business. I'm of the opinion that we should refrain from drunkenness and all forms of pagan idolatry, however. If we are Christ-centered and mark the day as one that honor's Jesus, we're good to go. We don't worship Santa Claus. We don't worship the Christmas tree. Worship Jesus and give praise to God.

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