Today I
read an article dissing Christmas. It is making its annual appearance “explaining” the origins of
Christmas, attributing them to pagan festivals around the world all through
history. The articles also the claim that Christmas is not Biblical because it
cannot be found that the disciples celebrated it, and there is no mention in
the Bible of Christmas Trees, Santa Claus, holly wreaths, nor mistletoe. Furthermore
there is no evidence in the Bible that Jesus was born on December 25. In fact,
probably he wasn’t born then because Shepherds would not have been in the fields
at that time. Christmas, it is claimed, is descended from Pagan celebrations
and Christians have no business celebrating something that is not found in the
Bible.
What about it? Is all that true? As usual, there is a
mixture of truth, error, misinterpretation, and misrepresentation.
1. Was Jesus born on December 25?
It is true,
the Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born. There is a 1 in 365 chance
December 25 was the date. The argument about the Shepherds not being in the
fields is bogus though. The sheep still have to be fed and watered. The wolves,
lions, and sheep thieves are still active They don’t take the winter months
off. So if the sheep are in the fields, the shepherds must have been with them.
I was in Israel in December/January and there were shepherds in the fields with
their flocks. Until I went to Israel in winter I assumed these naysayers knew
what they were talking about.
2. Is Christmas descended from Pagan rituals? One of the
tactics of Christmas debunkers is to tie the date, December 25 to all the other
festivals, celebrations, and holidays around the world. Let us at least be
honest. Mid December is a great time to have a celebration. My wife commented
to me just yesterday (December 18) that there were only a few days left and the
days would start getting longer. I am ready for longer days and I have
electricity that serves to light and heat my home. I am sick of the long hours
of darkness. In the most difficult times, a good celebration is a mood lifter.
Is that why December 25 was chosen for Christmas? Was it because it was a time
the people already celebrated something so the Church tried to change the pagan
holiday to a Christian one? Who knows?
(By the
way, the same critics make the same claims about Easter and the date Christians
celebrate. The date of the resurrection is much better attested, but that doesn’t
keep them from claiming pagan roots.)
3. What about the pagan roots of all the Christmas
traditions? Christmas trees, holly wreaths, yule logs, mistletoe, can all be
traced to pagan roots. Oh really? What about eating, procreation, drinking, singing,
dancing, talking, running. The pagans did all those things too. Does that mean
we should avoid them? Most of our traditions have a Christian meaning. If you
have never participated in a hanging of the greens service, perhaps it would be
enlightening for you to know that the Christian use of those items is not
Pagan.
4. As followers of Christ, should we observe an
event that is not mentioned in scripture?
I disagree
that Christmas is not mentioned in scripture. While the word Christmas may not
be there, the story of Christmas is in three of the four Gospels. Mark is the
only Gospel writer not to mention the birth of Jesus. He begins his story with
the Baptism of Jesus. Matthew and Luke tell the physical story of the birth of
Jesus and John gives the Theological implications of the Lord’s birth. John 1:14
has no meaning apart from Jesus’ birth.
I am at a
loss to explain why a person, reading the scripture and not finding Santa Claus
or Christmas trees would come to the conclusion that we should not remember the
Birthday of the Savior. Unless, that is, they were looking for some reason to
dismiss Christmas.
5. Should Christians make a big deal of Christmas?
For me,
this one is a no brainer. God was the first to make a big deal about the birth
of Christ. He sent angels to the participants to explain what was going to happen.
He sent a chorus of angels to announce the birthday to shepherds in the field.
He sent them to the manger where He had prepared a place for the shepherds to
worship him. Can you imagine the mess if those shepherds had tried to squeeze
into a room at the inn? They had the whole stable to congregate in.
In
addition, God made the announcement of the birthday of Jesus in the heavens, so
Magi from the east would know about it and come to celebrate. Sure, they might
have gotten there a few years late, but they came, and they brought expensive
gifts.
God made a
really big deal about the birth of Jesus. A really big deal! I don’t think we
can make a bigger deal out of Christmas than God did if we tried.
The
Christmas story,
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his
one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by
believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to
all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling
the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone
who trusts in him is acquitted; (The Message)
