Isaiah 9:6(NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
There are some Christians who argue against the celebration of Christmas because it was originally a pagan holiday. They reason that Jesus was not born in December. Of course they are right on both counts. I choose to see it from another angle. First of all the Christmas celebration is not really about Jesus’ birthday. We are not celebrating the day of His birth but the fact of his birth. Since this is the case, the day is not really that important. Unto us a child was born and a son was given. When is not really the issue.
It is true that the December 25th date coincides with a pagan holiday called the Saturnalia. I don’t have a problem with that. In my view that just means we have taken something that the devil owned and coopted it for Jesus. Any ground we take from the devil is a good thing to me.
What confirms to me that this was a victory for the Lord is what the devil is doing today. It seems to me that he is trying to do the very same think in reverse. Over the last 50 years the Christmas celebration has become more and more the “holiday” celebration. It is acceptable to have a Hanukah menorah or a “holiday” tree or a Kwanza symbol, but a manger scene is unacceptable. We can sing winter songs and secular Christmas songs, but any mention of Jesus is out of the question. It seems to me Satan wants his holiday back and I don’t intend to give it to him. We took it to celebrate the coming of the Messiah to the world and we are not giving it back.
I don’t pretend to be a big “Christmas guy.” I have six kids and 12 grandchildren. With spouses that’s a lot of gifts and I like to give good gifts. Over the years I have gotten increasingly “Scroogish.” (I don’t think that’s a word, but you get the idea.) As I have thought about this idea of Satan trying to reclaim December 25th, however I got a little angry. As Christians we can go with the secular holiday flow, we can ignore it all together or we can make a stand for Christmas to be what it was taken from the Devil for in the first place.
Christmas is the celebration of the fact that God came to earth to rescue man from the penalty of sin. Jesus did not stay a baby, but if he had not come as a baby he couldn’t become a man. If he didn’t become a man he could not die for our sins. If he didn’t die for our sins there would be not Easter celebration of the resurrection. It all began with God taking the form of man and invading our world with His love. That is the celebration we call Christmas.
As we go through the next few weeks, let’s take back our Holiday. We don’t want to make anyone else feel uncomfortable, but the truth is this is our time. Jesus is the center of this celebration. I appreciate the Jewish tradition of Hanukah, but the 25th is Christmas not Hanukah. It is the Christmas holiday that the world celebrates. I know nothing of Kwanza except that my friends who are from Africa, and I have many since I’ve spent a good bit of time on that continent, seem to know no more about it than I do. If it is not just a fabrication then those who choose to celebrate it should do so proudly. We should do the same for the celebration of Christmas.
I refuse to say “happy holidays” to be politically correct. Let’s declare a Merry Christmas to the world. A Child was born for us. A Son was given for our salvation. Time is still marked from that wondrous event even if the world wishes it weren’t. They may say that the new designation of time is BCE, meaning “ Before the common era” and ACE meaning “After the common era” or some such thing, but in reality time is still divided by the birth of Jesus the Christ.
This is our celebration. Let’s embrace it for what it is and use it as a time to extend an invitation to receive the true gift of the season to the world around us. Jesus came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10) and that’s what we have to offer the world as a Christmas gift. Many, despite the efforts of the media and the politically correct culture, still believe that Christmas is about Jesus. They may not know Him as we do, but they recognize the attack on our culture and because of it are more open than usual to the idea that He is an important part of life. We can use that to show them just how important He really is.
I encourage you not to give our celebration back to the devil. Let’s take Christmas back. The Holy Spirit within us will enable us to do so. Let “Merry Christmas” become our battle cry against the forces that want to reclaim the 25th of December for their own agenda.
Isaiah 9:6(NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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