Jesus Is The Reason For The Season!
The beauty of the season surrounds us. It's a time where people tend to be joyful, kind, and generous. Restaurants and stores have candles lit, beautiful green wreaths on their doors, some have manger scenes, Christmas trees, signs that say "Merry Christmas," and several restaurants offer a free meal to those who are hungry. And let's not forget the beautiful Christmas lights! Some homes go all out and include blow-up snowmen, reindeer, and beautiful manger scenes that are all lit up.
You will find a variety of events for families; most include hot cocoa and hot cider. There are wonderful plays and concerts at various churches. Little kids play the wise men, and sometimes you will even find the woman who is playing Mary riding in on a real donkey to the place where she will give birth to Jesus.
I find it absolutely beautiful to walk through a snowy town with hot cocoa in hand, looking at Christmas lights, seeing the manger scene on the sidewalk, and giving gifts when I can. The season brings much Joy, as it should!
Christmas Time Brings Questions
Christmas time also brings discussions regarding... "How did it come to be in the first place? Should Christians celebrate Christmas since Jesus was not born on December 25th?"
When you do the research, you will find a lot of different resources and thoughts on those subjects. There is a lot there. I am just going to share some basics.
How Did Christmas Come To Be?
The early church focused on honoring the death and resurrection of Jesus. BUT the 4th century church started celebrating the birth of Jesus due to the fact that there was some conflict amongst Christians over the nature of Christ—who He was. They wanted to put emphasis on His birth, showing that when He was born, the Word became flesh and that He was, in fact, the Messiah, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!
He was the ultimate gift to mankind and through Him our sins could be forgiven, and those who choose Him will have eternal life. They wanted to celebrate His life and the gift that He was. -- So Christmas came to be!
When Was Jesus Born?
It is true that Jesus was not born on December 25th. The theory is that He was born sometime in the spring, due to the fact that the Bible tells us in Luke 2:8-14 that when He was born the shepherds were watching their flocks by night. Shepherds did not spend time with their sheep in the field in the winter but rather in the spring.
The Roman culture had pagan festivals celebrating the sun from December 17th - 24th. The belief of many is they chose December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus to counteract the influence of the pagan celebration.
The Christmas Tree
You will also find information regarding the Christmas tree. The evergreen tree was a symbol of everlasting life.
Roughly around the 16th century, the Christmas tree came about. They would put stars on the top of the tree to remind them of the wise men who followed the star to see Jesus and bring their gifts. Some would put an angel on the top of their trees as a reminder of the angels that appeared to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born.
Jeremiah 10 and Isaiah 44 are not warnings against Christmas trees. When you read them in the full context, you will find out that it was regarding the pagans making their trees idols. Yes, some pagans did worship trees. This was a time way before the birth of Jesus and way before Christmas trees came to be.
Christians do not worship the Christmas tree. It reminds most of the everlasting life that Jesus gives to those who choose Him.
How Did Santa Come To Be?
In the 19th century, a cartoon artist named Thomas Nast, working for Coca-Cola marketing, created a picture for Harper's Weekly Magazine of Santa. It took off and became popular.
It is believed that picture was inspired by the story of the real 4th century Bishop St. Nicholas of Myra. He was wealthy, very generous, and helped the poor.
You will find many stories regarding St. Nicholas. One story being that one night, he dropped a bag full of gold down the chimney of a man's house so that his daughter could get married. The bag landed in a sock that was hanging on the fireplace to dry.
From there, Santa took off, and the world has put a great emphasis on Santa and added a lot of other make-believe aspects of who he was supposed to be.
The Beauty of Christmas
Christmas is a beautiful season; you see the Fruits of the Spirit on display loudly. Surrounded by the beauty of the season, the lights and candles remind us that Jesus is the light of the world. We focus on what it truly means, celebrating the BEST gift ever given, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And for many, including myself, the snow at Christmas is also a wonderful reminder of what Jesus has done for us, but that topic is for another time.
From all of us to all of you...Have a wonderful Christmas!!!
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