Some Reflections Upon Christmas

Some Reflections Upon Christmas
Tim Haile

In our country, Christmas is a national holiday. For many people the Christmas season provides an opportunity for visiting with family. Many use this holiday to participate in the tradition of gift-giving. Even many Bible-rejecting secularists observe Christmas for these reasons.

Of course, many people attach a special, religious significance to Christmas, going so far as to establish December 25th as a religious holy day. We see church sign slogans that say, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and, “Let’s put “Christ” back into Christmas,” and other such things. And while it thrills all Bible believers to hear people openly advocating that Christ be remembered and honored, the sad truth is that the exaltation of Christmas as a special holy day, and the special emphasis upon Christ’s birth, which is (arbitrarily) associated with that day, has caused some people (not all) to ignore or forget what the Bible does actually say about the commitment that we are to make to Christ every day! Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Honoring and serving Christ is to be done every day, not just one time a year. Rather than pleading with people to “put Christ” into a certain day, or season of days, let us encourage people to put Christ into every day.

When this is done, Christ is exalted in our thoughts, words and deeds as Lord, Commander, Captain and King (Acts 2:36; Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 19:16). Respecting His authority, we will listen to Christ and do what He says (Colossians 3:17). We will act upon the basis of His instructions, which we will allow to abide in us (Col. 3:16; Jn. 15:7). We will not dare to act without His authority, for know that such “lawlessness” will result in our spiritual destruction (Matthew 7:23). We will speak where our Lord commands, and we will be silent where He is silent (1 Peter 4:11).

Genuine Christians do not take liberties with God’s word. They do not arbitrarily establish and observe religious holy days of their own making (Galatians 4:10, 11). They know that GOD is solely in charge of such appointments. This raises certain questions about the observance of Christmas: Where does God tell us to celebrate the birth of Christ? Where is a Bible example of such being done by either Christ, His apostles, His disciples, or any New Testament church? We are plainly commanded to commemorate the DEATH of Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23, 24). By an approved example we know to do this “upon the first day of the week,” and by necessary conclusion (that every week has a first day) we know to commemorate the Lord’s death upon the first day of every week (Acts 20:7). But where are the Bible instructions for establishing December 25th as a religious holy day in honor of Christ’s birth? We have clear Scriptures that explain the incarnate birth of Christ (Matthew 1, 2; Luke 2), and these facts must be believed. But where is scriptural authority for us to appoint a certain day, assign to it the birth of Christ, and use that day to annually commemorate the birth of Christ? Had God wanted us to attach a special religious significance to a certain day, He would have told us the specific day, just as He had done in the past (Exodus 12:6, 14), and He would have told us what to do upon that day. Let us avoid adding to the word of God (Revelation 22:18). And let us honor Christ DAILY.

Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: parkwaychurch@yahoo.com or timhaile@mac.com.

Tim Haile, for the Parkway Church of Christ