It is tempting in a discourse that bears the title, ‘The Real Christ in Christmas.’ to engage in a lengthy discussion on the truth about whether Jesus was born on December 25th or not. I don’t think it matters what date He was born. What is important to me is that He was born. I also believe that if someone needs to celebrate His birth on whatever day, that’s fine with me. Let’s be fair; we all celebrate one another’s birthdays, don’t we?
I don’t think that we will ever know the facts about the birthdate of Jesus until we ‘cross the bar,’ even then, it might shock us to know that no one in eternity, including Jesus, is concerned about the matter.
Prophets, sages, monks, and, in our times, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians are the sources of our history. The reliability of this history will always be questionable because its origins lack reliable proof. [1]It’s true; there are all too many ancient scripts, hieroglyphics, ruins, tools, implements, and other examples of human existence and lifestyle. There are many processes for checking the ages of these articles so that scientists can determine some reliable origin. Discoveries made some years back and were gospel at the time were later found to be inaccurate. In short, historically speaking, nothing is cast in stone. So, while history is fascinating, it’s shaky at best.
For you and me to reach our sought-after target of living God’s purpose for our lives on this earth, we should advisedly stay clear of entrenched religious doctrines, foolish discussions, and arguments.[2] Use this measure: Don’t spend time on activities that do not deepen your relationship with God. Enhance the gifts that the Spirit within you offers so freely.[3]
Let’s look at how the celebration of Christmas came about. According to history, there was a Bishop of the Roman church by the name of Nicholas. He ran a give-to-the-poor operation in late 200 AD. St. Nicholas inspired a legend that said he collected and distributed gifts to children. (Nicholas was canonized after his death.) In essence, the give-to-the-poor operation has now become a gift for children. In the process, St. Nicholas morphed into a legendary character named Santa Claus.[4] (derivation of Dutch Sinterklaas derived from Latin Sanctus Nicolaus) With this, the celebration of Christmas got into top gear.[5]
I am sure you will all agree that today’s celebration of Christmas is a gigantic commercial feast. But if we look around us, we see that sport and entertainment are generally the same. There was a time when I did not believe in the celebration of Christmas. But when I saw the joy and the fun experienced by my family, children mainly, I came away from that doctrine.
Where am I going with this? To discover what’s essential in terms of Jesus Christ and the celebration of a Christmas festival.
What is the true significance of Jesus (a man filled with the Spirit of God):
‘Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.’[6]
- The Spirit of God came through Jesus to this earth, born like every human and living an exemplary life, defining God’s purpose in His short life.
- In actual Jewish teaching, he became a sacrifice so that God could impart His Spirit to every human forever, that they would have an opportunity to be released from the bondage of carnal blindness.
Where does that leave you and me? Accepting God’s Spirit frees us to celebrate the glory of God in any way and at any time we wish. The birthday of Jesus is worthy of celebration on any day because Jesus is not bound by the cycle of time. I’ll wager He’s not fussy about what date you celebrate His birthday. I can say one thing with certainty: each human who celebrates Christmas does so for different reasons. Choose your motive and celebrate! God looks at hearts, not dates and reasons.
The critical motive to celebrate is the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Why? Because if He had not done so, where would we all be? I will leave you all to think about this. Why would it be that believers will pay more attention to Good Friday than Easter Sunday? If Good Friday had been the end of Jesus and His promises, we would not have a long weekend for Easter, would we?
My prayer for you is after reading this discourse, you will celebrate Easter Sunday. How often? Every moment for as long as you breathe, and Christmas at any time and however you wish.
Love and Blessings
Peter-James.