Recently, I read an article about how Christians should not celebrate Christmas. My first reaction was anger. I love Christmas, and see nothing wrong with its celebration.
What bothered m most about her argument was her appeal to Reformed theology. She relied mainly on a misinterpretation of the so-called "regulative principle" of worship which states that we can only celebrate the glory of God at the times and through the methods that He Himself has specifically stated in the Bible. We were created in the image of God to be creative. Biblical religion was creative religion, which means that our imagination and ingenuity brings glory to God, because it is the part of us that is most like God. The Biblical saints did not hesitate to invent commemorations of God's great events in history. There is no command in the Old Testament to celebrate Purim, for example, yet it records that they celebrated it in Esther. There is no specific command to move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. yet the Biblical Christians did. These were innovation of worship intended to bring attention to the acts and glory of God.
Furthermore, forbidding Christmas is a denial of God's grace and freedom. Paul says in Rom 14:5-6 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. " Whether or not we celebrate Christmas, we should do it for God's glory.
So we may celebrate Christmas, in God's eye. But that is not the only question. The thornier issue is this--is it worth keeping? Paul said in 1 Cor 10:23 "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. Has Christmas become more burden than blessing? That's a much harder question.
Frankly, I think it's a close call. Christmas is a ragged mess of the sacred and the profane. It brings out both the best and the worst of Christians and churches. It's easy to just follow the customs of the day, but if we do not examine why we celebrate, we are liable to miss it entirely. If we do not recognize the profane in Christmas, we will not discern what is truly sacred about it.
Is it worth it to celebrate Christmas? Here's the pros and cons, as I see them.
First, the negatives.
1. Our modern Christmas has become an almost entirely secular holiday. To most Americans, Christmas has nothing to do with Christ except the name.
This isn't new. The complaints about the secularization of Christmas extend all the way back to the middle ages. Christmas haters point out that the Christian Christmas contains elements of the Roman Saturnalia celebration, so you could argue that the secular Christmas predated the Christian holiday. So if we think we can get the secular out of Christmas, forget it. It's not going to happen.
2. Christmas encourages excess. We live in a society where two out of three adults are overweight, and one out of four are overweight. Yet we all go on a month long eating binge at Christmas. Christmas adds seven pounds of fat to te average American adult.
3. Christmas encourages materialism. No, that's not quite accurate--secular Christmas is materialism. Merchandizing is the driving force behind Christmas. Our modern pictures of Santa Claus did not start from our study of the real St. Nicholas, but from Thomas Nast cartoons of the Nineteenth Century and Coca Cola ads of the Twentieth century. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was originally a mascot for a department store. All the sleighs an elves were likewise first commercial symbols. Every year we are treated to the spectacle of wise men shopping at Macys or the Christmas star as a neon sign for a hotel chain. Secular Christmas as it is practiced today is more about our own wealth and power than the majesty and glory of God.
4. Christmas charity has been replaced with Christmas greed. In the mid Nineteenth Century, Christmas was a time of giving to the poor and less fortunate. You can see this old tradition embodied in Dicken's Christmas Carol. But then the wealthy citizens of New York became suspicious of the poor. The draft riots of the 1860's saw mobs of poor people destroying the homes of the rich. So these same citizens began a new tradition of giving to their own children what they used to give to the poor. Hence Santa Claus was born as a device for keeping the wealth in their own family.
For centuries, Christmas has been associated with giving. But who we give to makes a big difference. There is no good reason we should also be taking. Give to those who need, because we need to give. But do not pile up presents on earth, and ignore the riches of heaven.
5. Peer pressure, not spirituality, is the true spirit of Christmas. The reason we overdo Christmas is because we think it is expected of us. We worry we do not give enough, so we overgive. Our eyes wander to our neighbor's Christmas tree, which always seems bigger and brighter than or own. Each year we set out to create a Norman Rockwell fantasy world that never really existed anyway.
Christmas materialism carries one starkly anti-Christian message--that money can buy happiness. Bigger jewelry makes women squeal. Bigger toys makes men kiss their wives. Children are deleriously happy only when the right present is under the tree. This is the message that is preached in one minute sermons between our favorite television programs.
In Africa, I saw a village full of children with only a handful of toys between them. They did not horde toys--they were treated as public property. Yet these children seldom used the toys. They were too busy being happy and having fun with each other. They were happy, because no one was telling them they should be unhappy. No one told them they were poor, or that they should have had closets full of toys. They learned to enjoy what they had, so they had what they enjoyed.
There are the negatives about the celebration of Christmas Now for the Positives.
1. Christmas has the best music of the whole year. I know this sounds small, but it is not. To hear Silent Night or Handel's Messiah can lift our spirits to God like few other blessings. At Christmas time, the sounds of this wonderful music is everywhere. Christmas carols are the one time when people actually sing together outside of church.
2. Christmas brings families together.I know we should do it all the year, but we don't. By taking the same days off, we have the freedom to gather without having to work or becoming distracted by other activities. It is a time when old and young gather and enjoy each other's company.
3. Christmas gives us time to reflect. Taking a week or two at the end of the year is a great blessing, and can clear our minds for another year of work. In our busy lives, we seldom have the gift of slowness. Christmas can give us this.
4. Christmas is a time of gratitude. Worship and gratitude are closely related. If we learn to be grateful for material gifts, perhaps we will better be able to thank God for the greater spiritual gifts. The practice of gift giving gives us a chance to practice being thankful and showing our gratitude to others. This is one of the most helpful skills we may have when we come to worship God.
5. Most of all, Christmas is the beginning of the Great Reenactment. In ancient times, the church set down a whole years of holidays, including Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. By following this calendar, we reenact Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.. For those who understand their meaning, these holy days serve as a yearly reminder of the greatness of God, and His salvation.
Christmas is a reminder of Christ. Each year, we tell the Christmas story. (the real one, I mean) But usually, we don't tell it all. The whole story begins with the dawn of time, with the sin of Adam and Eve and the darkness of sin that followed. It continues through Abraham's promise, and the promises of the prophets. Then comes the dawning of the new era, the era of the Messiah. It ends with the final victory over sin and death portrayed in Revelation.
Taking all into consideration, I believe Christmas is worth it. Others are entitled to the opposite conclusion, But if we celebrate it, we should to all we can to keep it actually Christian.
For my part, here is how I will keep Christmas Christian.
I will try as much as possible to deemphasize the negative material aspects and emphasize the joyful spiritual side.
I will carve out a sacred space within the secular mess-- a time of quiet reflection and holy worship.
I will try to teach my family to avoid the commercialism jealousy, and greed that mark the secular holiday.
Most of all, I will seek not the baby in the manger but the living Christ who was revealed in Bethlehem.
If I can do that, then Christmas may be worth the trouble.
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