There are no Christian holidays. There are two days we as Christians should celebrate: the day we are born-again into the kingdom of God and the day we die. Both are celebrations of Life Eternal, a truly blessed event.
That being said, tradition has ingrained in me the desire to celebrate stolen holidays, like Christmas and Easter, though I no longer call it Easter (to me and many like me Easter is now Resurrection Sunday). And while our children are grown and our nest is empty, Christmas is the one holiday I do really get into. I love finding just the right gift for a person. I love the way faces light up, if I get to see them open their presents. I love the, "Wow! Thanks" I get when an unexpected guest or two show up and are handed a gift. I love giving, for that is how I express my love for my family and my friends at Christmastime.
Christmas is a shortened word meaning "Christ's Mass" the term a Catholic priest gave it when the church was empty during the winter solstice. (see Britannica: Christmas origins for more).
I made the mistake with my first born son of leading him to believe Santa was a real person, because that's how I grew up. Big Mistake. Because when he was old enough to go school he was informed Santa was not real. And I had to explain the symbolism behind it. I did not make that mistake with the next two. I raised them on practicality and Jesus' birth.
But if you look at the setting of the story of the nativity, the Word was not born in the wintertime. It rains in Israel during the winter months, most of the time. Mary being nine months pregnant would not have ridden any animal on the journey. I imagine Joseph being a carpenter would have handy a small cart of some type and size. There Mary would be able to travel better.
On the night of Christ's birth, it wasn't raining. We know this because a star like no other shone in the night sky, big and bright and unusual enough to draw people to the stable, a dark cave-like place where the animals were penned in.
Angels suddenly appeared in a clear night sky where shepherds were out in the fields guarding their sheep. In the wintertime these same shepherds would have been closer to home and the sheep would have wintered safely in stables or larger buildings. But on this night they were out in the fields.
We don't need to know the date of Christ's birth. It is enough that we know He died on the cross, that His blood washes away our sins when we repent, that God forgives us when we seek His forgiveness, that Jesus rose from the dead and walked out of the grave into eternity. It is enough to know that Jesus Christ stands at the right hand of His Father interceding on our behalf. It is enough that the precious gift of God, the Holy Spirit, fills us with power to preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is enough that this same Holy Spirit leads us and guides us through a life lived according to God's Word.
That's my Christmas. That's my Jesus. That's what I celebrate. Every day of my life.
Do I wish you a Merry Christmas? Do I say Happy Holidays? How am I to greet people now? What should I say?
Happy Joy of The Lord to you. And what response might expect? The same back to me with joyful exultation. Happy Joy of the Lord to you!!
Luke 15:10
Ecclesiastes 7:1
Luke 2:1-20
Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-11
John 3:16-17
Acts 2:1-41
Galatians 5
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