Category Archives: Christmas

Celebrating the Christian calendar

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Thanks to all who commented on yesterday’s post, especially to those who pointed me to other articles. Looking at all that’s been said (I’d encourage you to read Jay Guin’s post “Regarding Christmas,” then look through some of the links in the comments section as well), I hesitate to add much more.

But of course I will. :-)

Over at Brian Nicklaus’ blog, I left a comment stating that I’m more comfortable with Charles Dickens’ Christmas than I am the pope’s. I’m glad the world is thinking about Christ in even the tiniest way. I worry about what Christians are doing about it.

The question bears asking “Why December 25?” The answer that it’s an ancient tradition doesn’t fly with me. The earliest references to Christians celebrating Jesus’ birth refer to it as an oddity, not as general practice. Early Reformers saw it as a Catholic tradition, not one pertaining to general Christianity.

There is an ancient tradition of celebrating tomorrow, December 8, as the day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The same groups kept that alive all these years that preserved the December 25 date. Why has Protestantism in general accepted their testimony on one celebration and not on the other? [For those wanting to return the U.S. to her Christian roots, remember that this is the patronal saint day of the United States]

Many have celebrated Mary’s ascension to heaven on August 15, with traces back to the fourth century. It’s a public holiday in over a dozen countries. Why not hold onto that ancient tradition as well?

And why is so little attention given to Epiphany? Whether you follow the Western churches (celebrating the visit of the Magi) or the Eastern churches (celebrating Jesus’ baptism), this feast is connected with an actual event that we can read about in the Bible, unlike the previous two that I mentioned. (Though some argue that the ascension of Mary is seen in Revelation 12) And if we’re going to sing about the 12 days of Christmas, why do we stop the celebration on the first day and not go through Epiphany, the 12th day?

It’s cool today to say “Let’s connect with historic Christianity by celebrating the Christian calendar.” If we’re really going to do that, we’ve got a lot more dates to add. Why one feast (or two, if you count Easter) and not the others? For more years than not, the bulk of Christendom celebrated these days.

There’s no good answer as to why we would set aside December 25 as the time to commemorate Jesus’ birth. And it doesn’t take much to see that focusing on Jesus’ birth at this one time of year pretty much eliminates any awareness of that event at other times.

I’m convinced of the value of promoting an awareness of Christ at this time and supporting the idea of the “Christmas spirit” in general society. I’m still not convinced of the value of imitating other Christians just for the sake of imitating them. I’m not big on “slippery slope” arguments (as they say, if you accept one of them, you have to accept them all), but this seems to be a step in a dangerous direction. Maybe not the action itself, but the line of reasoning (or lack of reasoning).

So who’ll join me in July to celebrate the coming of Christ?

What do we do with Christmas?

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I grew up in a Church of Christ. But it wasn’t one of those churches of Christ. That is, it wasn’t until I got to college that I came to hear a lot of the traditional CofC arguments. Like opposition to Christmas. I mean, I had heard some rumblings, but I grew up in a house that celebrated Christmas. My mom was a music teacher, my music teacher at school, and we sang Christmas songs and had a Christmas concert every year. At home, we put up a Christmas tree, Christmas lights, the whole works. There was even a tiny little nativity scene.

When I got to college, I learned that the churches of Christ cover a broad spectrum. And that some of the people along that spectrum opposed every mention of Christmas, every hint of a celebration of that pagan holiday. While I didn’t come to embrace their views, I did learn why they felt as they did.

One of my best friends at ACU was from the Assembly of God, and she liked to kid me about some typical beliefs of my fellowship. Once I was helping her move and was unpacking a large nativity scene. “For those of us who celebrate the Lord’s birthday,” she said with a laugh. “Tell me when it is, and I might celebrate it,” I shot back.

So I found myself in the middle: not ready to condemn Christmas as thoroughly pagan, not ready to embrace it as “the Lord’s birthday.” And to this day, I walk through a winter no man’s land, not ready to join either camp.

I want to discuss this a bit more, but I’d like to hear your thoughts. What do we do with Christmas?

Christmas Eve Gift

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Nothing to see here. Move along, folks.

What, you’re still here?

OK, here’s a link for you:
101 Christmas Videos to Watch and Enjoy

There. Now go spend some time with someone you love.

Where’s the line to see Jesus?

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Most people have probably seen this song, but it’s still worth posting, just in case you missed it.

Read more about the song’s author on the Christian Chronicle blog.

So when is Christmas, anyway?

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How did Christmas come to be celebrated on December 25? It’s an interesting question. The answer I’ve always heard was that it was because of a Roman pagan celebration that fell on that day. However, in an article in Biblical Archaeology Review, Andrew McGowan mentions an ancient explanation that is rarely heard today. Around the year 200, Tertullian of Carthage calculated that Jesus’ death would have fallen on March 25 of the Roman calendar. There was an ancient tradition that Jesus was conceived on the same calendar day that he died, that is, that he was conceived on March 25. Based on that reasoning, the ancients looked to a day nine months later as the day of his birth: December 25.

I’ve enjoyed hearing Ray Vander Laan’s explanations of much that surrounds Christmas. I haven’t seen his “True Story of Christmas” video; there’s an unauthorized copy on the Internet, but I can’t see that as anything but stealing, so I won’t link to it. Maybe some of you have seen it and would like to share some of his thoughts. I know that he argues that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, that he was conceived during the Feast of Lights, etc.

Lifeway Research published findings recently that found that 81% of Christians agreed with the statement “Family traditions are the most important part of Christmas to me.” I would heartily agree with the statement. I guess it’s evidence like that above that tends to make me feel that way. I see no reason to be anti Christmas, as I said the other day, I just don’t feel the need to pretend that it’s “Jesus’ birthday.”

We should join with others in celebrating Christ at this time of year, then continue to do so throughout the year, even if the rest of the world stops.

Photo por Moroder (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons