It seems each Christmas there is dissention within the Church regarding when Jesus was actually born. I am therefore compelled to write about how Christians are free to worship in truth and in spirit and to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ even if December 25th isn’t the actual date of his birth. Please refer to last year’s Christmas blog Christmas is Authentically Christian for more perspectives.
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him. The seventh is a person who stirs up conflict in a community. As the body of Christ, the Church is called to be unified in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10). Yet here we are, gridlocked once again in between scriptures and pagan festivals. There are those who point to the Bible saying it doesn’t command us to celebrate the birth of Christ and those who hold up the same Bible and say it doesn’t forbid us from observing Christmas.
The apostle Paul reminds us that “One person regards one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be convinced in their own mind.” Romans 14:5. He also wrote the words, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” Colossians 2:16.
Understanding where we stand in Christ is paramount in how we perceive the Christmas holiday. We have been set free from earthly laws and can worship God in the spirit and in truth. Colossians 3:1 reads, “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”
Those who get bogged down in history, claiming Christmas was originally a pagan festival to the sun god or go to great lengths in an attempt to establish the validity of whether sheep can graze in the month of December in Israel have already lost the battle before they begin. It simply does not matter. It is irrelevant whether Constantine desired to convert pagans to Christianity in order to grow the empire or whether the Church of Rome was looking for a way to grow the Christian religion. Both arguments are counterproductive.
Titus 3:9-10 drives home the message of unity among believers, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.” Arguing about the origin of Christmas creates division within the Church and if we are to have any success holding the birth of our Savior in high esteem and reverence, in a world more than willing to usurp center stage with a clown in a red suit, we must band together to keep Christ in Christmas.
The miracle of the birth of Christ changed the world we live in. The way we measure time, the way we perceive God, the fulfillment of prophecy on an unequaled level. The details of the virgin birth recorded in the gospel of Luke form the foundation of the good news of the gospel! An angel appeared before the shepherds and proclaimed, “’Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’” Luke 2:11-14.
I submit to you that if God sent the heavenly host to celebrate the birth of his Son in such a manner, he is also delighted when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus today. Our sacrifice of praise is a pleasing aroma to God no matter what day we offer it.
The sincerity within our hearts when we worship the Lord separates those who are truly children of God from those who do not know him. Those who have a genuine relationship with the living God are secure in their salvation and cannot worship at an inappropriate time. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.
Jesus illustrated that a divided house cannot stand in Mathew 12:25-26, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then, can his kingdom stand?” He goes on to say in verse 30, “Whoever is not with me is against me and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
The ultimate question we need to ask as the body of Christ is what brings glory to God? Quarrelling and bickering among ourselves certainly doesn’t glorify the Lord and it also doesn’t illuminate the gospel in a dark world. We must decide if the Church is nothing more than an exercise in religion or if it is truly imbedded in an intimate relationship with the Almighty Creator.
If someone wants to celebrate Christmas, then let them be. If another chooses not to, let them be also. When they choose to celebrate is not critical either. The date is only a spot on a calendar and calendars have changed in the last two millennia. Even the number of days in the year has changed over time so there is no true way of knowing for certain what day was originally “the” day for anything.
When we sincerely praise God it doesn’t matter what the occasion is or if we are off by one day or 300 days, he will accept our genuine worship. Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
When we come before the Lord in total honesty, in sincerity and truth, our worship is accepted as right. Hebrews 13:15-16 puts it this way, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
So this Christmas, celebrate with these principles in mind. It’s not the date on the calendar that matters. It isn’t wrong to celebrate Christmas and it certainly doesn’t matter how December 25th was chosen to represent Christ’s birth. What is important is that you are fully convinced in your heart that you want to pay homage to the Son of God in the same spirit that the shepherds did. That you truly believe that the 356 old testament prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus are what compels you to worship him and celebrate him. That the miracle of his birth opened the door to the even greater miracle of his resurrection.
