CHRISTMAS: A CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY?
First we will look at the historical background of the festival, then the manner in which it is observed today, and a final recommendation for a more practical Christian application to the holiday (if that is possible).
LACK OF GIVING AT OTHER TIMES OF YEAR
LACK OF GIVING TO THOSE WHO NEED
SOME SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR CONSIDERATION
For this, rather than re-invent the wheel I will simply quote from a very distinguished work by the late Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons.
pg.91 "There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth, or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there, implies that at what time soever His birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December."
pg.92 "There is great unanimity among commentators on this point. Besides Barnes, Doddridge,
Lightfoot, Joseph Scaliger, and Jennings,"
pg.93 "within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish Church fix on December the 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendancy on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed;"
pg. 93 "That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, "about the time of the winter solstice."
It would seem rather plain to see that the holiday doesn't exactly stand on a solid biblical foundation. Let us now take a critical look at some of the customs that are observed today at Christmas time and their application to Christianity.
The giving of gifts. Let us take a look first at a childs view, he starts counting the days many months ahead of Christmas, not for the celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor for the wonderful opportunity of giving, but for the greed of what he or she will get, for such is a natural reaction in a carnal creature, and from very early childhood they are trained by their parents (unintentionally) to focus on what they can get out of life and not what they can put into it. Let us also look at what goes on in their relationships with their friends at school etc., for invariably when they see each other after the holiday season the question on all their lips is "what did you get for Christmas", and the answer "I got...". You also see the great discrepancys in giving, for one child will receive virtually nothing, while another 'Christian' family has spent hundreds, or even thousands on each other. Where does this leave the poor at such a time but feeling even poorer. It is little wonder that Christmas time has a higher suicide rate than any other time of the year.
How many times have petty jealousies been aggravated by the giving at Christmas time, either you got too small a gift and gave too big in return, or vica versa, an unintentional game of one upmanship. How many times are the Lord's funds (for you are the steward over God's goods) squanderred on something that is useless simply because you cant think of something to get them.
How much money is spent on trash at Christmas time when it could have been put to better uses.
The concept that there is a special season of giving for a Christian I find to be completely foreign to scripture with the two evils being that
(a) the true Christian waits till Christmas to give, when the person needed the gift in October, and thereby looses the opportunity of service, and
(b) the nominal Christian lives like a pagan at heart most of the year and does his good deeds at Christmas to atone for his year of sinful living, and when the new year comes he returns to his sinful habit pattern.
LACK OF GIVING AT OTHER TIMES OF YEAR
The previous point seems to foster the lack of giving to others amongst Christians when it is not the 'season of giving'. I shouldn't have to point out that there are people in need all year round, not just material needs but also spiritual needs.
LACK OF GIVING TO THOSE WHO NEED
I hate to be redundant but most giving at Christmas is restricted to the members of your own family, with little or no effort to give to those who are in real need of fellowship, support, and just dying to know that someone cares.
Every sunday of the year should be 'white gift sunday'. If people are in need of food at Christmas you better believe there's pretty meagre fare at other times of the year also.
Let me start out by saying that some of the arguments presented in the previous section will not always apply to the reader of this paper, and that there could be considerably more written concerning the hypocrisy of the season, but I have set forth the problems that are currently foremost in my mind.
As an alternative, or perhaps a companion to the Christmas season, we should endeavor to give to those who need the most, not just now but throughout the year. Give of our time, when it is needed, give of our resources, when they are needed, to show our love for others through what we do, as the opportunities arise; daily, weekly, and monthly.
Should we have a 'white gift sunday' we should also attempt to have that service available all year round, lest we be accused of hypocrisy.
If we continue to celebrate Christmas perhaps we could set an example by giving half our budget (for gifts) to those outside our familys, and remember to give throughout the year as the Lord gives us opportunity.
I guess what I am trying to say is that true giving from the heart is always a surprise to those who receive, not only for the gift but the act itself is a very joyous and pleasantly unexpected surprise. Let us not allow the ritualistic expected giving of Christmas rob us of this aspect of giving which the Lord has so graciously given us.
The giving of Christmas is devoid of the 'surprise of giving', leaving the only surprise the gift, which is often no surprise at all.
Christmas has been a part of the Church not only from the Roman system but from the reformation to the present. I am not aware of any prominent Christian leaders, theologians, scholars, or evangelists that did not celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ in some manner.
Can the festival be done away with? I doubt it. Can it be brought back into balance? I hope so. For myself, at this time, cannot take part in observing the festival. Do I look down on those who observe it? No. Do you who observe it look down on I who do not? I hope not. What is my recommendation?
Allow me to refer to a passage from the book of Romans, chapter 14 verses 5 & 6, "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it."
SOME SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR CONSIDERATION
ACTS 20:35 NKJV
"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
ROMANS 12:6,8 NKJV
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them:...
8 ...he who gives, with liberality;...
ROMANS 15:1-3 NKJV
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself;...
2 CORINTHIANS 9:13 NKJV
... while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,
MATTHEW 5:42 NKJV
"Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
JAMES 1:27 NKJV
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
MATTHEW 6:1-4 NKJV
1 "Those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
MATTHEW 25:35-46
35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 'I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
KentWilken@aol.com RachWilken@aol.com