The Birth of Christ is Worth Celebrating

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“We need to celebrate this Christmas. Jesus’ birth was – and is – good news of great joy” -Rick Warren (Pastor/Bible teacher/Best-selling author).

             

Christmas is derived from the old English words Cristes maesse, “Christ`s Mass”. Christmas is a Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Present spelling of Christmas probably came into use around the 16th century. It is arguably the most popular and most widely celebrated festival in the 21st century. Though celebrated by a large segment of Christendom, it has been bastardized by a minority within the Christian fold and outside Christian circles. Chief among the most vociferous critics of Christmas is the religious group called the Jehovah`s Witnesses. Their antagonistic views regarding the celebration of Christmas will be considered since to a very large extent, their views represent that of many other religious critics. I will attempt to address these criticisms in a concise, logical and coherent manner and seek to protect the worth of celebrating the enigmatic birth of the savior of the world – Jesus Christ.

Refuting the assertions of critics

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society make the assertions below concerning the celebration of Christmas. “Since the date of Christmas is of pagan origin, it should not seem strange that the customs of Christmas are also of pagan origin: There is no escaping it: Christmas is of pagan origin: how much more important it is for true Christians today to shun a celebration that was never authorized by God, that stems from pagan Babylon, and that falsely bears the name of Christ” (“Truth that leads to eternal life”, p. 149). Similar views have been expressed by a couple of religious organizations such as many (if not all) 'Churches of Christ' (Herein referring to the denomination). Indeed I have received a couple of emails from some preachers belonging to these organizations raising similar arguments against the celebration of Christmas.

            

 At face value, the assertions of critics alluded to sounds logical and true to the Scriptures. No wonder it is paraded on the airwaves, online, via the print media and on street corners as the gospel truth. The question I pose is, are these assertions by critics consistent with the facts of history, with sound logic and with Scripture? I will take each line of argument and refute same.

            

 Critics assert that “Christmas celebration was not authorized by Christ and thus must not be celebrated by Christians.”Admittedly nowhere in Scripture does Christ instruct his followers to celebrate his birth. However, this does not necessarily make such a celebration wrong or forbidden and I will prove this shortly. For those who at one point or the other chose to specially honor a parent, teacher or mentor, permit me to pose this question: did you do so because such an important person in your life instructed you to do so? In honoring such a person, which will you consider as more honoring: by choice and personal/communal initiative or by demand and compulsion? What much of the Christian community has done is opt for the former; set aside a day to specially honor Christ by choice and ‘communal’ initiative. It was the distinguished Christian Theologian, Dr. C. R. Sproul who once noted: “I can’t think of anything more pleasing to Christ than the church celebrating His birthday every year.”

            

 It is also important to note that nowhere in Scripture does Christ instruct his followers to publish magazines, act plays, organize conventions at specific times, use hymn books, appoint regular pioneers and auxiliary pioneers, keep record of every single minute spent in field service and many other activities some critics such as Jehovah`s Witnesses are involved in. Yet these are done with pride and gusto. These activities are never considered to be wrong or of pagan origin even though Christ never expressly authorized their practice.  

            

 One would argue that even though the activities I have itemized where neither instructed nor practiced by Christ, they are initiatives by some of his followers driven by Christ`s command to make disciples of all nations. I agree. Similarly, I will argue that the celebration of the birth of Christ is a Christ-honouring initiative by the church, where there is a focus on Christ and his mission.

Indeed, various activities are undertaken during the Christmas season which are consistent with Christ`s instruction to make disciples and several other Scriptural imperatives; Singing/worship (Psalm 150:1-2; Matthew 26:30), prayer (Ephesians 6:8), public/private reading and meditation on the Scriptures (Psalm 1:2-3; ), preaching/teaching (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts1:8)), giving/helping others (Galatians 6:10; Proverbs 3:27) and many other activities churches engage in during the celebration of Christmas are Scriptural. As a matter of fact, even feasting is consistent with Scripture. Indeed many festivals the Israelites commemorated included both sacred rites and feasting (2 Chronicles 30; Esther 9:20-32).

            

 There is absolutely no text in the Bible that forbids the celebration of Christmas. Absolutely none! What is an undeniable fact is that the birth of Christ – the savior of the world is a Biblical fact (Luke 2:1-21). Why on earth would any well-meaning Christian condemn another who chooses to commemorate what is without a doubt a Biblical fact? Very puzzling indeed! My contention is that an act is not wrong merely because Christ never expressly authorized it. It is wrong when it contradicts the clear instruction of Scripture and when it militates against the spiritual wellness of the practitioner.

Suffice to state that many benefits of the celebration of Christmas over the years cannot be quantified. Many who have celebrated Christmas the right way (avoided acts that are inconsistent with the tenets of the Christian faith) over the centuries have reaped benefits of significant proportions. For instance, speaking of the notable reformer (the most outstanding figure in the 16th-century protestant reformation), theologian and professor – Martin Luther, Paul L. Maier wrote: “Martin Luther loved Christmas. The joy he derived from the festival each year not only overflowed in his composition of such familiar carols as “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”, but also recharged his spirit for the many struggles in his continually challenged life.”

            

 “Christmas is of pagan origin. The date of Christmas is of pagan origin. It should therefore not seem strange that customs of Christmas are also of pagan origin”critics have said. Well, if the celebration of Christmas on the 25th of December annually implies its pagan origin, what will be said of the annual celebration of Christmas on the 6th of January by the Armenian Church for several centuries now? It is important to emphasize that no individual or group of persons has bonafide ownership of a particular day or date. What you choose to do today is by no means intrinsically linked to what I choose to do the same day.

            

 Consider this analogy: Five years ago, while residing in a rural community whose inhabitants were largely traditionalists, a few Christian friends of mine and I were expected to join in the celebration of their annual festival in honor of their gods for rains and a good harvest season. My friends and I decided that rather than participate in a supposedly pagan festival, we will spend the day in honor of our God for his provisions. We followed through with our decision and found it to be exceptionally rewarding. We, therefore, resolved to stick to this practice every year.

            

 Interestingly, through our missionary efforts in the village, a significantly large segment of the inhabitants were converted to Christianity including their chief and his elders. Two years down the line a large segment of the community discarded the celebration of their annual pagan festival and adopted the practice my friend and I commenced some years back. Our practice became the norm and the officially acceptable festival of the community; a festival in honor of our God and not the gods of the land. What is ethically wrong with the festival my friends and I successfully introduced to the village folks? Does the fact that our festival dislodged the pagan festival of the community make our festival less Christian and of pagan origin? Does this suggest that our festival falsely bears the name of God? Absolutely not! In a similar vein, the fact that pagans of Rome already observed 25th of December annually as the feast of Saturn celebrating the birth of the sun does not make Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) pagan and of pagan origin.

            

 Also, worth noting is that, contrary to the claims of critics, the fact that some customs of pagan origin are prevalent in the celebration of Christmas does not necessarily mean Christmas is pagan or of pagan origin. In this day and age, conspiracy theories abound about all kinds of issues including Christmas; they remain conspiracy theories and not proven facts. According to Encyclopaedia Americana, customs of all lands have been added through the centuries. Various customs were later additions, some of which were intended to make the celebration more acceptable and meaningful to people of divergent ethnic groups. No wonder some scholars believe that the birth of Christ as the light of the world was made analogous to the rebirth of the sun in order to make Christianity more meaningful to pagan converts.

            

 Dr. John MacArthur, Bible scholar, pastor, and a prolific author introduces another leg of the discussion when he emphatically states: “There is no connection between the worship of idols and the use of Christmas trees. We should not be anxious about baseless arguments against Christmas decorations. Rather, we should be focused on the Christ of the Christmas and giving all diligence to remembering the real reason for the season.”

            

 Admittedly, in our world today, the celebration of Christmas has been associated with some abuses in certain circles. This is awful and repugnant and is incompatible with the tenets of the Christian faith. The abuse of a thing, however, does not make the thing wrong. When the purpose of a thing is either unknown or neglected, abuse is inevitable. The fact that there have been some excesses in some quarters in the celebration of Christmas does not in any way indicate the pagan origins of Christmas nor does it conclusively show that the “baby be thrown away with the dirty bath water”.

            

 Critics have also stated that “Christ was not born on the 25th of December. Why celebrate his birth on that day every year?” Well, Christendom does not claim Jesus Christ was born on the 25th of December. Many Bible Scholars admit that it is not probable and feasible that Christ was born on this date bearing in mind the weather patterns in Israel around this season. Indeed there is no documentation of the exact date of Christ`s birth. However, the 25th of December was merely set aside over 1500 years ago by some Christians to remember and honor the birth of Christ. This is nothing strange; it isn`t wrong either. In our cultural settings, many of us know at least one parent or grandparent whose exact birthday isn`t known and yet a particular date is chosen and sometimes celebrated as his or her birthday.

           
It is my conviction that critics have the right to choose not to participate in the celebration of Christmas since it is a matter of choice but they err when they shout their condemnation of the celebration of Christmas ‘from the rooftops’. Such must take a cue from the principle underlining the Scriptural admonishing in Romans 14:1-6.

A Christ-centered Christmas

While religious critics persist in their ruthless condemnation of much of Christendom for our celebration of Christ, there are those (secularists) who are spearheading an agenda to dislodge the Christ from Christmas, and so especially in the Western world, it is increasingly becoming politically correct not to mention CHRISTmas; ‘happy holidays’ and perhaps ‘Merry Xmas’ is increasingly becoming the norm. There is a seemingly dominant focus on business (the commercialization of Christmas), on ‘Santa Claus’, ‘the rain deer’ and wild entertainment and so on to the neglect of the real reason for the season.

This well-meaning Christians must resist. Let`s keep Christ in Christmas. Dr. David Jeremiah stated thus: “All the Christmas presents in the world are worth nothing without the presence of Christ. It was Thomas S. Monson who once noted: “finding the real joy in Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season.” Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. It is a season for remembering his first advent. As a consequence, Christ must remain central in our celebrations.”

Christ is and must remain the reason for the season.  It is his legendary birth we celebrate. “For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, NIV). Such glorious news!!!

             

 Paradoxically, we are the reason for the season. This is because Christ was born for our sake. We are the reason he came. The world-renowned evangelist, Billy Graham was right when he stated: “The very purpose of Christ`s coming into the world was that he might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.” The birth of the Christ was a necessary route to his death and resurrection; that which secured our redemption and salvation.

            

 Amidst the cheers and laughter, the joys and merrymaking, the words of Vance Havner should ring a bell: “Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of his son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.” As John R. Rice rightly observed: “You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father`s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.” The Christmas gift herein is in reference to Jesus Christ. We must make room in our hearts for our blessed savior.  Nothing should be done that contravenes the tenets of the Christian faith. Make this season count for something good, and in a Christ-honoring way. 

Look out for creative and wholesome ways to make this Christmas season a pleasantly memorable one. Be a blessing to someone; put a smile on someone`s face. Above all else, never lose focus on our blessed savior. The extraordinary birth of the savior of the world (Jesus Christ) is worth celebrating (worth remembering and honoring). Let no one convince you otherwise. Celebrate it with pride and gusto. Celebrate it with meaning. Merry Christmas!!!

Additional Christmas resources:
The birth of Jesus
Glad tidings of great joy
Inspiring Christmas Bible Verses  
For kids - The Birth of Jesus - The History of the Christmas Story
The Christmas story 

This article was written by Daniel Dela Dunoo

(Writer/Blogger/Theologian)

Email: dudelda3@yahoo.com