Christians: Don't complicate Christmas
Christian culture seems to only operate in extremes when it comes to Christmas.
One side is all about Santa, obscene displays of gifts, and using every available moment to do all the Christmas activities. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have those who refuse to participate in any carnal Christmas activities and wield “Jesus is the reason for the season” as a weapon of sorts.
To be clear, He is absolutely the reason for the season. Just stay with me.
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Why does it seem that we’re always picking sides here? Why is it always jet black or translucent white?
I will say that, as followers of Christ, there is very little gray in our lives. The Bible is crystal clear in its instruction. However, Christmas is always a hot topic because, though it is regarded as a religious holiday, society makes a full-time job of removing Christ from every aspect of our lives. They’ve commercialized it and assigned the leading role to Jolly ol’ Saint Nick. Society has enabled and encouraged us right into debt splurging at our local retailers. Christians continually have to fight to keep Christ in Christmas, so to speak. Major employers have their workers using the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
Obviously, there isn't anything wrong with the phrase "Happy Holidays." However, when it’s used as a conscious effort to NOT say “Merry Christmas,” it becomes just one more dig at Christianity.
I believe because of these constant attempts by the enemy, some Christians can easily find themselves heading toward the other end of the spectrum. Instead of truly enjoying and celebrating Christmas and its true meaning, they’re defending it at every turn. While on the defense, they themselves miss the mark. It becomes all about defending Christian traditions and what we “should” be doing as Christians.
There is a middle ground here, friends. Christmas does not have to be on side of the spectrum.
Christmas, for us as Christians, is and always will be about the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who went on to die for our sins so we can have eternal life. That is not a matter of opinion, but fact. Matthew 1:21 gives the prophecy, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Then the prophecy is fulfilled in Luke 2:10, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Does that fact sometimes get lost in the chaos of the modern commercialized Christmas? Yes, it does. However, because we are Christians, we celebrate and honor the meaning of Christmas every single day. Or, I should say, we should be honoring Him. We should be living and displaying the love of Christ every single day, regardless of a specific holiday.
Debates around how we should be celebrating Christmas often lead to discord among believers and frankly, it’s only feeding Satan’s master plan. Instead of wondering if Christians should be putting up Christmas trees or if it’s wrong to have service on Christmas Eve instead of actual Christmas Day, we should be asking ourselves how our actions are honoring the gift of our Savior. Is our well-intentioned defense of our Savior’s birth drawing others to a personal relationship with Him? Or could be a deterrent? In the midst of defending the holiday that is designated to celebrate His supernatural birth, we must never lose sight of what His miraculous arrival means for us. His birth and subsequent death afford us the means to everlasting life. Our temporal life here on earth should reflect our love and gratitude for His gift. We reflect His love in numerous ways. We are called to live and walk in His love and by His truth to win lost souls for Him. We are called to honor Him every single day. Not just on December 25th.
He most certainly is the reason for the season, but not just this season. He is the reason we live. Period.
Erica Caudill is a lifelong Christian who runs a blog. She is a married mother of two children. She can be reached at mrscaudill@me.com.
