How Do We Celebrate?
Many say that Christmas is just too commercialized. And I'd have to wholeheartedly agree with that assessment – but I'm just not ready yet to pull the plug on the whole celebration. I love Christmas lights, I love the decorations, I love Christmas cookies! And I'm aware that some of the traditions of Christmas have been said to have been born out of pagan beginnings. And I've also heard the claims that Christmas itself actually has its origins in pagan holidays. However, I have a video that speaks to that...
***Video "Horus Ruins Christmas"
I found that video online produced by a very conservative Lutheran pastor. And even through the humor - there are a lot of solid facts there. You never know what you can find online...
But I've also seen online posts from Christian individuals saying that they won't be saying 'Merry Christmas' because they don't want to be seen as exclusionary or insensitive. It's goes something like this... "Why do I wish people "Happy Holiday's"? Because from Nov. 1st - Jan. 15th there are approximately 29 holidays observed by 7 of the world's major religions. And I don't think mine are the only ones that count."
That's fine, but it's not really about 'my holidays' - The Bible says that Jesus is The Son of God born to take away the sins of the world! It's more than okay to fully celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday - celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior! I don't believe saying 'Merry Christmas' is insensitive to non-Christians. Just like I wouldn't be offended if someone wished me a 'Happy Hanukkah'. First, because it's not offensive and second - my boss happens to be Jewish...
I want to start us off by looking at a familiar passage we read at Christmastime...
Luke 2:8-18 (NIV)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. (9) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (10) But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (11) Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (12) This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
(13) Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, (14) "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (15) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (16) So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
(17) When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, (18) and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Were those first shepherds who came face to face with an angel worried about offending their community by sharing what they had just witnessed? No! They were sharing the news with everyone that their Savior had been born! That news is still true today! Jesus is The Savior for everyone! - Whether they acknowledge Him as such or not...
As believers, we need to speak to the world while their eyes and ears are open and they may be receptive to God's message. As a Church - we have our special programs and do our best to present the real meaning of Christmas, the message of the birth of Christ. But what message do we send as individuals. Once we're away from the church building, what are we telling the world about Jesus?
Sometimes, the whole 'Christmas thing' becomes more a celebration of the day than it does the person of Jesus. I want to encourage us to place the…
I. Spiritual above traditional
If you're like the average church family, you probably do what most families do - and what we did when I was growing up. You celebrate "Christmas". We celebrated with many of the traditions of Christmas. We set up our tree and decorated for the holidays. We celebrated the day with family and exchanged gifts.
But at the same time we were doing that, my parents also made sure that we knew that God was at work. We knew about the birth of Jesus as well as the rest of the story of His life, death, and His resurrection.
In my family, we grew up knowing the difference between the 'traditions of Christmas' and the 'Good News of Jesus'. It was much more than just a story read to us on Christmas day. It was a 365-day a year idea. Christmas was something we were able to celebrate because of who Jesus was in our lives. We understood that Santa was born out of tradition, and Jesus was born out of God's love.
It's not that we shouldn't celebrate with traditions, but I want to encourage us to not forget who we are and our purpose for being here. In our celebrations, parties, shopping and activities - what kind of message are we sending to a watching world?"
Do we celebrate just like the rest of the world by neglecting the fact that Christmas is a religious holiday centered around Jesus - The Savior of the world? Do we get so caught up with celebrating 'the day' that we forget the significance of the birth event? Do we put more energy into shopping and exchanging gifts than we do celebrating the gift of God's Son?
And I know, this is probably the message of many preachers every year around this time - but it is true. Christmas has been 'hijacked' by our culture. And I'm not blaming them. If they don't know Jesus - why would they celebrate His birth? This is not about condemning someone who doesn't say 'Merry Christmas' - but instead looking for opportunities to show them the real meaning of Christmas!
What does your world see when they watch you at Christmas time? Do they see me impatiently shopping and running around being rude to fellow shoppers or cashiers - or do they see someone changed by the birth of the Christ child? Could it be that I need to change my priorities and skip celebrating some of the wrong things? Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)...
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (16) In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
There's nothing wrong with lighting up your house in celebration of Christmas! As long as you remember that that's not a substitute for your light! Do you place as high a priority on being that light as you place on having more lights than your neighbors? Celebrating is good! Sharing Jesus is great!
If we are serious about being the Church...
II. We must be faithful
We must be faithful in our witness, regardless of the season or the occasion. The part of Christmas that I want to let go is all the 'hustle and bustle' of what Christmas has become. The season gets so busy with activities that we might neglect being the light - really sharing Jesus with those who truly need Him.
There are lots of good things that we do at Christmas time. We may give gifts to express our love. We may contribute to charities. We may pay attention to the needs of others less fortunate. All of those things are very good things and are things that I need to keep on doing year round. But sometimes, it almost feels that we may do those things in order to justify all of the other things that we do that keep us from recognizing our spiritual obligations.
Because of Jesus' birth - do we have a passion for the spiritual needs of those around us? Because of Jesus' birth - do we have a passion for the lost? If we take care of people's physical needs and we do not share Jesus with them, is it possible that we just end up letting them 'go to hell' with full stomachs and a bunch of things that will do them no good after this life?
I know that sounds harsh and I don't want to come across as putting down those who focus on physical needs. Jesus Himself fed thousands and healed people's physical afflictions, but Jesus also gave more attention to their spiritual needs. Jesus didn't stay on this earth feeding and healing people – He gave His life to provide them a way to enter Heaven through Him!
We're called to share the love of Jesus and the truth of Jesus! And we have unique opportunities at this time of year. We have the light of Jesus because someone before us passed it on to us.
The writer of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)...
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I spoke last week about handing down our faith to our children and grandchildren. We can only do that because someone passed it down to us. Because people were faithful before us - let us remain faithful. At this time of year - and all year long - let us...
III. Focus on Jesus!
Jesus must be at the heart of everything we do. He must be more to us than just a 'baby in a manger'. Those of us under the Lordship of Jesus must act and respond differently to Christmas than those in the world who have no knowledge of Jesus. We who fix our eyes on Jesus should act a little less like the world when it comes to the things we celebrate. Jesus told us what my priorities should be when He said...
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
But even as I challenge each of us, to again refocus our priorities and daily activities on Jesus - to seek Him first, I need to remind us - it's not all about us seeking Him. The Christmas story isn't about man reaching up to find God. Jesus shared the truth at the core of the story of the manger in Luke 19:10 (NIV)...
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Jesus came to seek you first. The events of Christmas are all about Jesus, God in the flesh, coming to His creation to save us. If Jesus had not come - there's no amount of seeking we could do, no offering we could make on our own behalf that would merit salvation! Jesus came as a baby, grew up and gave up His life to save the world!
And to help you celebrate all of that - rather than just Christmas, a single day - I'd like to share a few reminders that could help us quit celebrating the day and help us to celebrate Christ. Don't make Jesus an "add-on", but rather put Him at the center of your celebration. Don't forget why we're celebrating in the first place. Every year, even as I and my brother and sisters are grown – my folks still have a tree with gifts under it for all of us and now our spouses and kids.
There's one tradition we have, however, that I didn't really appreciate as a child – but now I can't celebrate without it. Growing up, before a single present was opened – before a single gift was given – Dad would pull out the Bible and read the story of Christ's birth. Then, as a family, we'd spend time in prayer thanking God for all His blessings.
Next reminder - don't spend more on the worldly celebration of Christmas than you do on the spiritual celebration of Jesus' Life. If we added up everything we spent on gifts and toys and electronics and decorations and feasts and parties – how does that stack up to what we give God? Where we spend our money says a lot about our priorities.
The Bible's clear that we're to be good managers of the money that God has given us. Sometimes, born out of our good intentions to give a gift, we end up perhaps wasting money that could have done 'more good' elsewhere. I'm not suggesting that we stop giving gifts, but here's an idea I'm not sure I've spent much time on. Do I pray about what gift I should get someone..? We check people's Amazon wish list or check what the trending gifts are - but why wouldn't we check in with God...?
Am I making a big deal and getting 'too spiritual'...? But if I can't get 'too spiritual' at Christmas, when can I?
And last reminder - don't forget that the greatest gift that you can give to the One who gave His greatest gift to you - is YOU. Don't put everything else in your life on hold to celebrate Christmas Day and then fail to make a commitment to make time in your daily life for personal prayer and devotion! It seems that everything gets put on hold when Christmas comes. Getting ready for the 'big day' becomes our focus for weeks, or even months for some. What if we gave the same attention, the same level of commitment to spending time with God?
What can you get for 'The One' who created everything? If you want to truly celebrate Christmas, give yourself completely to God. One of the greatest things about Christmas is seeing children enjoy the magic of it all. Perhaps God would like to see His children's joy, too? Take time to thank God for your blessings and make sure you spend time with Him.
So What?
If you put Christ at the absolute center of your Christmas celebration, it will be much better than ever before! I've heard people complain that they just can't get into the "Christmas Spirit". Usually that's because Jesus is not at the center of the celebration.
Many of the things that we do to prepare for the holidays don't leave us in much of a mood to celebrate anything, let alone Jesus. So let's quit a lot of the Christmas tradition this year - at least from the world's standpoint. Instead of celebrating Christmas this year, let's celebrate Christ!
And one last thought - remember those shepherds, let's read that again from Luke 2:17-18 (NIV)...
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, (18) and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
This week - as you're out and about - pray that God would use you to be a blessing to others! Pray before you leave your driveway, ask God for opportunities to talk to people about the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus! See if that helps you really get into the Christmas Spirit!
Merry Christmas!