The New Adventures of an Old Preacher

Here is part two. Thanks to those who waded through the first one!

In considering whether or not it is falls within our Christian liberty to celebrate December 25^th as Christmas- the day Christ was born- there is one text of primary importance. This is where we will begin- in Romans 14.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The book of Romans is fascinating on so many levels. Its body of teaching is rich and challenging. It was written by the Apostle Paul to a fragmented and hurting church in Rome divided along ethnic and theological lines.

The church in Rome had seen quite a turnover in terms of leadership and tradition because the Jewish Christians had been forced out by an edict of Caesar in 49 A.D. Upon their return they discovered that many of their Jewish customs were no longer honored by the Gentile Christians (who obviously had no background from which to appreciate them). This created a rancid atmosphere where neither the Jewish nor Gentile Christians wanted to accept each other.

Paul set out to correct this by writing this letter. Right away he condemns their practice of judging each other, leads them to see that neither Jew nor Greek have any claim to righteousness and that all are in need of the grace of Christ. He then beautifully teaches how it had always been God’s will for the inclusion of Gentiles into his kingdom.

In all of his teaching in this book he obviously had to deal with some of the stark differences between these groups based on background and tradition. One such set of teachings is found in chapter fourteen.

Apparently the dietary practices of some Christians were being called into question- as was the practice by some to keep special days holy. It would be easy to pinpoint these practices as wholly Jewish- after all- dietary laws and keeping special holy days were a major part of their heritage. And it may well be that they are who Paul had in mind. But it is also possible that some of the Gentiles abstained from meat and kept special days as well. Whomever he had in mind, Paul allowed for these practices in the context of Christian liberties.

PRACTICAL POINTS

From Romans 14 about keeping holy days and dietary practices:

• A non-judgmental, accepting attitude is encouraged toward differences on “disputable matters.”
• Christians are at liberty to practice their preferences concerning diet and keeping special sacred days.
• But no practice of or opposition to these Christian liberties should become a stumbling block that could “destroy the work of God.”
• Everyone should work to make every effort to create a peaceful and edifying atmosphere- even if that means keeping particular beliefs between you and God.

All Paul asks is that we be “fully convinced” in our beliefs and practice them to the glory of God.

  CHRISTMAS (AND OTHER HOLIDAY) APPLICATIONS

Now, taking the principles of this text to apply it to our study of Christmas we can conclude:

• That it does appear that Paul would allow a Christian the liberty to celebrate the Christmas holiday as a special, sacred day.
• But based also on his larger body of teaching and the fact that we should be “fully convinced”- he would want us to approach this celebration fully educated and with the proper understanding of the historical facts along with the proper perspective of what the “nativity” means in the overall life, ministry and story of Jesus.
• He would also warn us to be careful that our celebration of it- or even our opposition to the celebration of it- be tempered if it could run the risk of damaging the “work of the Lord.”

It all gets back down to our relationship with one another in Christ. Just like the Jews and Gentiles then, we will not always see everything alike. Therefore when it comes to “disputable matters” we must allow mutual respect and consideration to guide us in our expressions of Christian liberties and in our questions concerning these expressions. This includes the Christmas discussion as well.

CAN THE CHURCH CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

It has been the tradition of the Churches of Christ to not attach a spiritual meaning to Christmas. Does this represent the proper approach to this holiday- or are we at liberty as a body of believers to celebrate- to some degree- the religious aspects of Christmas? Here are the points at the heart of this discussion:

AGAINST:

• We are not specifically authorized to do so in Scripture. The New Testament is silent when it comes to specifically celebrating December 25^th or any day as Christ birthday.
• So many celebrate Christ as Christmas and fail to do so the rest of the year and end up with an incomplete picture of who Christ is and what discipleship to him means.
• Christ is now attached to a holiday that –in part- is based on consumerism and greed.

FOR:

• Since Christ is on the collective mind of our culture already, it is a timely opportunity to share more of his story- beyond the manger- to hearts possibly more receptive to him than at other times of the year.
• How can any holiday that brings people back to a consideration of Christ be a negative?
• If the church ignores Christ at Christmas, but participates in the secular aspects of the holiday, what message does that deliver?

My short answer to the question of if and how a church celebrates Christmas is that it is a decision of that congregation’s leadership based upon their knowledge and understanding of that particular body and their community.

Obviously to embrace December 25^th blindly as Christ’s birthday and to celebrate it while ignoring the full story of Jesus would be wrong, but ultimately all of the questions about Christmas will be answered in our hearts and in the hearts of those leading us. Whatever the conclusions- we must always be led by the principles Paul laid out in Romans 14.

This is a copy of a study I am leading in my Wednesday night Bible class. Thought you might enjoy reading it and adding to it! Be warned, it is rather lengthy for a blogpost.

The Christmas holiday that we celebrate in 21^st century America is a curious mixture of religion, materialism, family, food, and tradition. For years the religious aspects of this holiday were overshadowed by the more secular traditions of Santa, Rudolph et al. Recently however, the “Christmas wars” have erupted as Christian groups have reacted to this increasing secularism. “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holiday” debates are now common with “Jesus is the reason for the season” being the Christian rallying cry.

But is he? Is December 25^th really his birth date? Should we celebrate it? What about all the other traditions that we have so commonly accepted? Where did they come from? And just what does the Bible have to say about all of this?  These questions (and more) are what we will attempt to unwrap in this two-part study. 

 JUST THE BIBLE FACTS 

This is where we start. The New Testament gives us two accounts of the “nativity story” in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-38 & 2:1-40. From these two texts here is what we know: 

·         His mother was Mary- a virgin- who was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter from the city of Nazareth, but Christ was not conceived by flesh but by the miracle of the Holy Spirit of God

·         Mary was chosen because she had “found favor with God”. She was told by an angel that her child was to be the “Son of God”, the “Immanuel” and that his name would be Jesus for he would “save his people from their sins.”

·         Joseph considered quietly divorcing Mary until a visit by an angel revealed God’s plan

·         Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem- the town of Joseph’s family- to be counted in a census decreed by the Roman Caesar Augustus.

·         While in Bethlehem Joseph could not find a room in which to stay and Mary gave birth in some type of barn or stable. She put swaddling clothes upon Jesus and placed him in a “manger” or animal feed trough.

 ·         Nearby shepherds were visited by an angel who announced the birth of Christ and directed them to where the baby was.

·         Then a host of angels appeared praising and honoring God

·         The Shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and Jesus. They then spread word about all they had seen and heard about the Christ-child.

·         On the eight day of his life, Jesus- as was the custom of male Jewish infants- was taken to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised and consecrated.

·         At some point the “Magi” or “wise men” led by a star journeyed from “the east” through Jerusalem to worship and bring gifts to Jesus. They found him in a “house” in Bethlehem and gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Being warned not to assist King Herod in his plot to discover and kill the Christ-child they returned home by “another country”

·   After that- because of the threat posed by Herod and being warned by an angel- Joseph took his young family to live in Egypt until after Herod’s death when they returned to Nazareth. 

From these facts here are some things we know and some things we do not know: 

·         No mention of a date is given. No mention of a season of the year is given. Many have tried to pinpoint this using the fact of the shepherds being in the fields; the time of this census, etc. Most have concluded that his birth probably occurred in early spring.

·         The “Magi” were likely scientists/theologians/astronomers- not kings. No mention is given of their specific country of origin. There is no mention of a number in relation to them except to the number of gifts they brought. We are not told of the timeframe of their arrival, but it was not at the time of his birth as is portrayed in most nativity scenes.

·         There is also no other mention of his birth in the rest of the New Testament including any celebration of it.   

HOW DECEMBER 25^TH BECAME CHRISTMAS 

What we recognize today as “Christmas” or the celebration of the day of Christ’s birth on December 25^th evolved out of a host of various pagan holidays, customs and traditions.

Some date the beginnings of these traditions as far back as the 5^th century BC to a Persian winter celebration of their sun-god, Mithras. His birth was celebrated on December 25^th.  Later the Roman Empire would absorb this holiday and make it it’s own as the Winter Solstice feast of Saturnalia. This celebration was marked by big, festive meals, visiting family and friends, the exchange of good-luck gifts, decorating with garland and even lighting green trees with candles.  

Other pagan influences shaping what we know as Christmas come from the ancient English observance of Yule, the annual birth of the new sun god. It was believed that because the days (of sunshine) were shortened at this time of the year that the Oak King (he was the New Year and the growing sun) was born at Yule.   

Other non-Christian traditions folded into our current celebration of Christmas include mistletoe. The Druids actually worshipped this plant because it lacked roots and stayed green all throughout winter. Wassailing (caroling) was originally an important part of a horticultural ritual. In England it focused on the cider-apple orchards (hence the drink- wassail). The purpose was to salute the trees in the dead of winter to insure a good crop for the coming year. Later carolers would sing until they were paid to leave- as a form of charity between feudal lords and their peasants.  

As these pagan feasts became increasingly popular the Roman Catholic Church began co-opting some of them ultimately linking them with the celebration of the birth of Christ. While some scholars trace the beginnings of a Christian celebration of Christ’s birthday as far back as 137 AD, it was not until the fourth century that this became official.  In 325 Constantine declared December 25^th to be an “Immovable Feast” for the whole Roman Empire. The bishop of Rome may have accepted December 25^th as the birth date of Christ as early as 320, but historical records provide no evidence for a date earlier than 336. “Christ Mass”- the recognition and celebration of December 25^th as the birth date of Christ became official in 350 AD when another bishop of Rome, Julius I accepted the December date.  

January 6^th also evolved into an important part of the religious celebration of Christmas (Orthodox churches still celebrate this as the day of Christ’s birth). This is the day of Epiphany which honors the visit of the Magi. It is also the twelfth day of Christmas (with Christmas being the first day) and concludes a 12-day holy festival. It is also interesting to note that some aspects of this Epiphany mirror the Jewish Hanukkah celebration of the Festival of Lights.  

Eventually as the Catholic Church grew and became more powerful the Winter Solstice pagan celebrations vanished into the similar but religious customs of Christmas. The Protestant movement would also embrace these traditions with some believing Martin Luther to be the first to light a Christmas tree.

While most did embrace December 25^th as the day of Christ birth and celebrate the Christ Mass, others did not.  Christmas was actually slow to catch on in America. Some settlers like the Puritans would have nothing to do with it and it was even banned by law in Massachusetts.  

But this holiday was unstoppable and with the coming of the gilded age of wealth and success in America a major salesman for this holiday would be created out of the legend of an old European “saint”. He would take Christmas to new heights on the back of his sleigh- and ironically enough shift the emphasis of this holiday once again away from the birth of Christ.  

Next we will look at more modern traditions and discuss our response to Christmas today.