The true meaning of Christmas
Check out the Rev. Carey Ingram’s column and the church calendar.
Christmas means different things to different people and there are some in the Christian community who argue that Christians should not celebrate Christmas. They say that there is no record that the early church ever celebrated the holiday, and that there is no proof that Jesus was really born on Dec. 25.
Those encouraging the abolition of Christmas today would be quick to point out the over shopping, over working and over spending in our celebration in our holiday have gone to extremes. The gift-giving in the celebration is based upon the wise men bringing gifts to the newborn baby, the new King of the Jews.
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
My concern is that for some it is not about giving, for too many of us it is about receiving. We give gifts to show our love. Yet, if we are giving because we love, why do we not give to the least among us — the poor, the homeless and those who do not know Christ.
The truth is Christ was born in a homeless situation, in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes out in a stable. But because of who He was, the wise men brought Him gifts. My question for us today is where are our gifts for Christ today?
The gift is loving Him with our whole heart. Here’s my question for you. Are the 150-year-old traditions that most of us follow in celebrating Christmas harmful, or are they appropriate? Or, to put it another way, can we honor Christ and still hold to our traditions? First, let me say that it is possible to leave Christ out of the celebration of Christmas. If the critics of Christmas traditions do nothing else but remind everyone that Christ is to be central in Christmas, they have done the church a great service.
In his book “The Five Love Languages,” Gary Chapman describes ways people communicate their love toward one another. He lists words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch as the five love languages. Some people will miss the mark and spend all their time and energy following traditions and miss the wonder of Christmas. That is a tragedy. Others among us will remember the mystery of God becoming man and ponder the love of God who gave us the best gift of all — salvation through Jesus Christ. Enjoy your family, enjoy your traditions and enjoy the sheer wonder that God became man, born of a virgin, in fulfillment of prophecies and that He was born to die to take away the sins of the world. And if you have never received Christ, you can experience the joy of Christmas today — a joy of receiving a gift that ultimately cost Jesus his life. It is a gift that will give you eternal life.