Some Christians abhor terms like Happy Holidays, insisting that we use the word Christmas. Is this a Christian version of political correctness that neglects what's really important? Has Christmas become elevated to the status of a mandate by traditional and commercial interests? It was neither commanded nor celebrated by Christ or the Apostles, but came into the Church about 300 years later. Contrary to some twisted theological thinking, it is also not banned in the Bible. It is not a core Christian requirement. Our traditions have made it appear so, but neither Jesus nor the Apostles demand it. So, if we criticize those who simply prefer a term like Happy Holidays, we also need to ask ourselves, why are we upset? Ought we not be more concerned about focusing on the commands that Jesus, the head of the Church made, than political correctness about church traditions invented by mere men?
Showing posts with label Xmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xmas. Show all posts
Xmas Myth #10 - Three Wise Men
No nativity scene would be complete without the three wise men, but it is historically vague. There is nothing in the Bible at all about there being three of them. There were wise men from the east that came to visit Jesus. The number three is speculation based upon the three types of gifts given – gold, frankincense and myrrh. There may have been more wise men. Some accounts give the number as four, two or even twelve.
The idea of these being kings may be correct based upon Psalm 72:10-11 where some kings were predicted to bring the Messiah tribute. The depiction of three kings in a stable is however, is probably not correct, because by the time they arrived, the family was already in a house (Matthew 2:11). Xmas is an opportunity to remember Jesus' birth and read the story in the Bible so that we can get it correct. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
(Although I could go on, I will stop here with #10)
The idea of these being kings may be correct based upon Psalm 72:10-11 where some kings were predicted to bring the Messiah tribute. The depiction of three kings in a stable is however, is probably not correct, because by the time they arrived, the family was already in a house (Matthew 2:11). Xmas is an opportunity to remember Jesus' birth and read the story in the Bible so that we can get it correct. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
(Although I could go on, I will stop here with #10)
Xmas Myth #9 - Wrong Date
Although early Christian scholars gave just about every month of the year as the month that Jesus was born, most today agree that Jesus was not born on December 25. Why was that date chosen? There are two possible answers. One is that December 25 was chosen as an evangelistic ploy to convert pagan tribes who already considered that date to be important. If so, it was a brilliant plan. Others say that it was chosen by early scholars who mistakenly believed that Jesus was born then.
It is not really important, because Xmas does not celebrate a date, but an event. Most Christians are quite aware that Jesus was probably not born on that date, and that nobody really knows for sure when he was born. What most Christians celebrate is an event which took place some time in the year. It was the most important birth of human history. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #8 - Authority
Some Christians believe that the only festivals with authority from God are those celebrated in the Old Testament. They claim that the Christian church has changed the times and laws without God’s authority as Daniel 7:25 prophesied. Is it wrong to invent days to celebrate Christ, or must we only keep the worship festivals of Leviticus 23? Old Testament festivals basically celebrated Old Testament events. No Old Testament festival celebrated Christ’s birth or his resurrection. Are we supposed to ignore these important events?
Ancient Israel added Hanukkah and Purim to its religious calendar. These events celebrated God's intervention in Jewish history and they were acceptable to him. The ancient king David also added temple worship, something that the pagan nations about were doing, yet God approved of it. The church has the same freedom to add festivals that celebrate very important things such as the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #7 - Pagan Date
Some Christians avoid Christmas because of its association with ancient paganism. First of all we must realize that almost any date would have coincided with some pagan festival. Some ancient Christians actually believed that December was the probable date of Jesus' birth, as best they could calculate.
What if it was actually borrowed from the pagans? Before pagans stole December 25th for their vile practices, the day was God's. Every day of the year is God's. Even the sun which was worshipped as a god by pagan nations was also used by God to represent Christ (Malachi 4:2).
Was Christ's arrival on earth as God in the flesh a bad thing? Of course not! So then to celebrate it on what was once a pagan holiday is irrelevant. Christmas is Christian. Some people keep their Christmas like pagans with drunkenness and debauchery, but we Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #6 - Commercialism
Many of us decry the commercialism of Christmas and there certainly are excesses which become a financial burden. However, there is also a good side to the commercialism of Xmas. It's not all bad. There is also something wonderful going on. Next time you go into a store around Christmas time, notice in the midst of all the trappings of tinsel, lights, reindeer, snowmen, trees and baubles is Christ.
Among the most popular Christmas songs are many that tell the story of the birth of Christ. Even in Japan, where barely 1% of the population is Christian, stores are filled with Christmas music. So, next time we think about condemning the kitschy and flashy commercialism of Christmas, perhaps we can realize that there is also a positive side to it. The materialism of Xmas has actually become an unwitting ally in carrying the most important message on the planet, the Gospel. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #5 - Pagan Worship
Some Christians avoid Xmas because they believe it came from paganism and God forbids us worshiping him like pagans. That is a Xmas myth. Whether or not Xmas came from paganism is open to question, but that it is forbidden pagan worship is a misunderstanding of Scripture. Deuteronomy 12:30-31 specifically commanded Israel not to adopt vile and despicable pagan things. One abomination was child sacrifice and another was ritual sex.
Nowhere does the Bible forbid other acts of worship that pagans performed. They prayed, played music, danced, raised hands in praise, made sacrifices and kept certain dates on the calendar. That kind of worship is also done by faithful Christians. The festivals of ancient Israel focused on Old Testament history. We are released from the old law (Romans 7:4-6) and are subsequently free to celebrate the events surrounding the most important event of history, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #4 - Xmas in the Bible
Did you know that Xmas is not in the Bible? Certainly, the birth of Jesus Christ is in the Bible. The most complete reference used for that is Luke 2. However, the celebration that we call Christmas is nowhere in the Bible. The earliest historic references to the celebration are in the 300's AD. Christmas is nowhere in Holy Scripture commanded for Christians and so it is an optional observance.
On the other hand, why wouldn't we want to celebrate it? Saint Nicholas was a kind historical figure, but he ought not to be the focus. The gaudy commercialism of the festival, drunkenness and excessive materialism put all of us off. But those are only worldly trappings and not Christmas proper. Christmas is a celebration of the most important birth in all history. Xmas is all about Jesus Christ, Immanuel (God with us), God condescending to a birth among human beings. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #3 - Santa
Were you disappointed as a child to find out that Santa Claus was a myth? Actually, the myth is a myth, because he really exists, or at least he did? He didn't live at the North Pole, but in what we call today Turkey, in the town of Myra. Santa comes from the word Saint and Claus comes from Nicholas. Saint Nicholas lived from about 270-346 AD in what was then a Greek-speaking province of Rome.
The most famous story about him was that a poor man could not afford the dowry for his three daughters to get married and Nicholas gave him the money. He became famous for gifts to the poor. Today in Demre, Turkey, near the ruins of ancient Myra, are two statues of Santa Claus. One is the real man and the other is the modern commercialized version. So you see Santa Claus was a real person. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
The most famous story about him was that a poor man could not afford the dowry for his three daughters to get married and Nicholas gave him the money. He became famous for gifts to the poor. Today in Demre, Turkey, near the ruins of ancient Myra, are two statues of Santa Claus. One is the real man and the other is the modern commercialized version. So you see Santa Claus was a real person. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #2 - Xmas Trees
Have you ever heard the Christmas myth that Jeremiah 10 forbids Christmas trees? It’s a bad Bible study technique to read our own ideas into a text. Good Bible study extracts from the text what it actually means. Jeremiah 10 describes a workman who has cut down a tree to be fashioned into an idol from the wood. The covering was not Christmas tree tinsel, but the wooden idol being overlaid with metal.
It is only a hasty and careless inspection that assumes that Jeremiah is describing a Christmas tree. The Bible neither encourages, nor forbids the Christmas tree. It is a strictly neutral thing which, like all things, can be used for either good or evil. We can use it to remind us of the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, or that a righteous person is like a tree planted by the waters, and so on. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
It is only a hasty and careless inspection that assumes that Jeremiah is describing a Christmas tree. The Bible neither encourages, nor forbids the Christmas tree. It is a strictly neutral thing which, like all things, can be used for either good or evil. We can use it to remind us of the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, or that a righteous person is like a tree planted by the waters, and so on. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
Xmas Myth #1 - Xmas
Some people think that if you abbreviate Christmas as X-mas, you are x-ing Jesus Christ out of Christmas. That’s actually a Christmas myth. It’s a simple misunderstanding of language. For centuries when making Bible study notes, our Christian ancestors used shorthand for the names of God and Christ using the first Greek letter of those names.
In Greek, God is Θεος (theos) and so a popular abbreviation for God has been the Greek letter Θ (pronounced either theeta, or thayta). Likewise, Christ in Greek is Χριστος (pronounced either Kristos or with a hard h-sound KHristos). So, the abbreviation for Christ is the first Greek letter X of his name (prounced either khye or khee), which looks like our English letter X. And so, a legitimate abbreviation for Christmas is Xmas. Rather than leaving Christ out with the abbreviation, I prefer to also remember the cross and Easter in the abbreviation Xmas. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
In Greek, God is Θεος (theos) and so a popular abbreviation for God has been the Greek letter Θ (pronounced either theeta, or thayta). Likewise, Christ in Greek is Χριστος (pronounced either Kristos or with a hard h-sound KHristos). So, the abbreviation for Christ is the first Greek letter X of his name (prounced either khye or khee), which looks like our English letter X. And so, a legitimate abbreviation for Christmas is Xmas. Rather than leaving Christ out with the abbreviation, I prefer to also remember the cross and Easter in the abbreviation Xmas. May your Xmas be one filled with every blessing!
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