What does Christmas mean to you? Is it a specific day of the year? Is it a time to spend lots of money on gifts; hoping to receive many nice gifts yourself? Is it a time for parties and gathering with friends and family? Is it nothing special to you; just another day, another paid holiday from work? Or does Christmas have a very special meaning for you?
Yes, the day we celebrate as Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, coincides with a pagan holiday. Yes, the early church Christians began this celebration as an alternative to the pagan holiday, Saturnalia - to give Christian believers their own special celebration and to keep them from participating in the pagan celebration. And, yes, the name Christmas was originally called Christ Mass and was celebrated in the church in Rome.
But, Christmas is much more than any of this. Christmas, regardless of which day one chooses to celebrate the holiday, regardless of the name given to the holiday - is a day we should be celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. We should be remembering that Jesus Christ lay aside His divinity and was born into a human body, not to glorify Himself, not to benefit Himself - but so that He might offer atonement, the free gift of salvation, to all who will, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, believe and receive Him.
To Christian believers, Christmas means worship, worship of our Lord and Savior, on Christmas day and every day of the year.
What does the Bible tell us about this wonderful event?
Isaiah 7:12-14 (nkjv), "But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!' Then he said, 'Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.'"
Immanuel is from the Hebrew word `Immanuw'el and from Strong's Concordance means: "God with us" or "with us is God."
This passage is a good example of Old Testament prophecy, which typically had a near term fulfillment for those hearing the prophet in his time, showing that he truly spoke the revelations given him by God - and a second long term fulfillment showing God's working throughout the ages.
Later, in Isaiah 9:6 (kjv), we read, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
He is all these things to all who believe. But, He is eternal judgment to all who deny Him.
In the New Testament Gospels, we read of the angel Gabriel announcing His birth to Mary and Joseph:
Luke 1:30-33 (nasb), "The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.'"
Matthew 1:20-23 (nkjv), "But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.' So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"
And, we read of the angels announcing to the shepherds in the field that our Lord has been born:
Luke 2:7 (nkjv), "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 2:8-11 (nkjv), "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"
Luke 2:12-14 (nkjv), "'And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'"
Luke 2:15-16 (nkjv), "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."
Luke 2:17-20 (nkjv), "Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them."
Matthew 2:1-2 (nasb), "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.'"
Often, we Christian believers are ridiculed because we walk by faith - by faith knowing that He is God, that He is our Lord and Savior. But, have you ever considered the faith of the shepherds in the field or the Magi who traveled from the far distant East? The shepherds had a serious responsibility - to protect the sheep from wolves and other predators. Yet, when the angel told them to leave their sheep unprotected and go into Bethlehem to find the promised infant; they did not hesitate - they left their sheep and went. But, were their sheep really unprotected? Not really; for if God sent them on a mission, would He not protect their sheep while they are gone?
The Magi, or Wise Men, priestly men from a far eastern country - did not hesitate. They saw the star, knew it was from God, and traveled a great distance to see this special child and to bring Him gifts. Yes, the shepherds and the Magi both displayed great faith. They stepped out if faith. Should we do less?
So, why do we celebrate Christmas? Because our Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much that He came to earth in a human body - to die for you, for me, for all people. And this is the main theme of the Bible - that God has provided, through His Son, the one and only Way to eternal forgiveness, to eternal salvation, to eternal security in Christ Jesus. We love Him because He loved us enough to die for us. He is the most special Person in our lives. And, if we celebrate the birth of our other friends and loved ones; why would we not celebrate the birth of our most special Loved One?
You might say, "But, you do not know the day on which He was born. So, how can you celebrate His birthday?"
If you had adopted a child and did not know that child's true date of birth - would you tell him/her that you will not celebrate their birthday because of this lack of information? Of course not. You love the child and you want it to feel that love; so, you decide upon an arbitrary day and give him/her a birthday to celebrate.
So, why can't we do the same for the One we love most - Jesus Christ? It is not the day which is important; it is our relationship with Him which makes this day or any day that we choose to set aside for Him special. We worship Him 24/7/365. We have just chosen to give Him extra special worship on this one day; to thank Him for all the love He has shown for us.
If you are a Christian believer; have a glorious, wonderful, blessed Christmas.
If you are a non-believer, thank a Christian for making it possible for you to have a day off work with pay.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Yes, the day we celebrate as Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, coincides with a pagan holiday. Yes, the early church Christians began this celebration as an alternative to the pagan holiday, Saturnalia - to give Christian believers their own special celebration and to keep them from participating in the pagan celebration. And, yes, the name Christmas was originally called Christ Mass and was celebrated in the church in Rome.
But, Christmas is much more than any of this. Christmas, regardless of which day one chooses to celebrate the holiday, regardless of the name given to the holiday - is a day we should be celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. We should be remembering that Jesus Christ lay aside His divinity and was born into a human body, not to glorify Himself, not to benefit Himself - but so that He might offer atonement, the free gift of salvation, to all who will, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, believe and receive Him.
To Christian believers, Christmas means worship, worship of our Lord and Savior, on Christmas day and every day of the year.
What does the Bible tell us about this wonderful event?
Isaiah 7:12-14 (nkjv), "But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!' Then he said, 'Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.'"
Immanuel is from the Hebrew word `Immanuw'el and from Strong's Concordance means: "God with us" or "with us is God."
This passage is a good example of Old Testament prophecy, which typically had a near term fulfillment for those hearing the prophet in his time, showing that he truly spoke the revelations given him by God - and a second long term fulfillment showing God's working throughout the ages.
Later, in Isaiah 9:6 (kjv), we read, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
He is all these things to all who believe. But, He is eternal judgment to all who deny Him.
In the New Testament Gospels, we read of the angel Gabriel announcing His birth to Mary and Joseph:
Luke 1:30-33 (nasb), "The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.'"
Matthew 1:20-23 (nkjv), "But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.' So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"
And, we read of the angels announcing to the shepherds in the field that our Lord has been born:
Luke 2:7 (nkjv), "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 2:8-11 (nkjv), "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"
Luke 2:12-14 (nkjv), "'And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'"
Luke 2:15-16 (nkjv), "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."
Luke 2:17-20 (nkjv), "Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them."
Matthew 2:1-2 (nasb), "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.'"
Often, we Christian believers are ridiculed because we walk by faith - by faith knowing that He is God, that He is our Lord and Savior. But, have you ever considered the faith of the shepherds in the field or the Magi who traveled from the far distant East? The shepherds had a serious responsibility - to protect the sheep from wolves and other predators. Yet, when the angel told them to leave their sheep unprotected and go into Bethlehem to find the promised infant; they did not hesitate - they left their sheep and went. But, were their sheep really unprotected? Not really; for if God sent them on a mission, would He not protect their sheep while they are gone?
The Magi, or Wise Men, priestly men from a far eastern country - did not hesitate. They saw the star, knew it was from God, and traveled a great distance to see this special child and to bring Him gifts. Yes, the shepherds and the Magi both displayed great faith. They stepped out if faith. Should we do less?
So, why do we celebrate Christmas? Because our Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much that He came to earth in a human body - to die for you, for me, for all people. And this is the main theme of the Bible - that God has provided, through His Son, the one and only Way to eternal forgiveness, to eternal salvation, to eternal security in Christ Jesus. We love Him because He loved us enough to die for us. He is the most special Person in our lives. And, if we celebrate the birth of our other friends and loved ones; why would we not celebrate the birth of our most special Loved One?
You might say, "But, you do not know the day on which He was born. So, how can you celebrate His birthday?"
If you had adopted a child and did not know that child's true date of birth - would you tell him/her that you will not celebrate their birthday because of this lack of information? Of course not. You love the child and you want it to feel that love; so, you decide upon an arbitrary day and give him/her a birthday to celebrate.
So, why can't we do the same for the One we love most - Jesus Christ? It is not the day which is important; it is our relationship with Him which makes this day or any day that we choose to set aside for Him special. We worship Him 24/7/365. We have just chosen to give Him extra special worship on this one day; to thank Him for all the love He has shown for us.
If you are a Christian believer; have a glorious, wonderful, blessed Christmas.
If you are a non-believer, thank a Christian for making it possible for you to have a day off work with pay.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
No comments:
Post a Comment