I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
A few years ago, I heard a “Christmas” sermon on “the pitfalls” of Christmas. The message covered many of the drawbacks that can trip people up during the Christmas season. It is true that this season can be a time when people experience depression, loss, and loneliness in the midst of the hectic pace of the holidays, overeating, and credit card mania. Christians can get caught up in the negative aspects as well, and some take on the religious tone that we have “lost the true meaning of Christmas” in the midst of our commercial materialism.
I have a difficult time understanding and relating to this kind of talk because, I must confess, I am a Christmas addict. I love everything about it: the sacred, the secular, and the gift buying.
I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
A few years ago, I heard a “Christmas” sermon on “the pitfalls” of Christmas. The message covered many of the drawbacks that can trip people up during the Christmas season. It is true that this season can be a time when people experience depression, loss, and loneliness in the midst of the hectic pace of the holidays, overeating, and credit card mania. Christians can get caught up in the negative aspects as well, and some take on the religious tone that we have “lost the true meaning of Christmas” in the midst of our commercial materialism.
I have a difficult time understanding and relating to this kind of talk because, I must confess, I am a Christmas addict. I love everything about it: the sacred, the secular, and the gift buying.
I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
A few years ago, I heard a “Christmas” sermon on “the pitfalls” of Christmas. The message covered many of the drawbacks that can trip people up during the Christmas season. It is true that this season can be a time when people experience depression, loss, and loneliness in the midst of the hectic pace of the holidays, overeating, and credit card mania. Christians can get caught up in the negative aspects as well, and some take on the religious tone that we have “lost the true meaning of Christmas” in the midst of our commercial materialism.
I have a difficult time understanding and relating to this kind of talk because, I must confess, I am a Christmas addict. I love everything about it: the sacred, the secular, and the gift buying.
I believe God loves Christmas, even the secular commercial parts.
Why Does God Love Christmas?
The gospel is proclaimed throughout the earth in song. Believers and nonbelievers alike are inundated with the music of Christmas. Christmas carols proclaim that God has sent His son into the world to bring salvation. This is heard everywhere—while shopping, at work, on the car radio, and on the television. People cannot help but get caught up in the music. If the enemy of our soul was the chief musician in heaven, he must hate the music of Christmas because people everywhere are singing and proclaiming that Christ has come.
People who would never attend church are hearing the gospel proclaimed through song, and they are enjoying the nostalgia and music.
Many needs of widows, orphans, and the poor are met during the Christmas season. It is a common fact that during the Christmas season, people meet the needs of others. The harvest of sowing and reaping is a promise from God. He takes delight in the generosity of others, whether they are part of the body of Christ or not. He loves when people give, and He pours out His blessings. Without the Christmas season, many worthwhile charities and food pantries would not be able to meet the needs of others throughout the year.
Believers and nonbelievers connect with others and build relationships. Yes, many Christmas parties are centered around alcohol, but in this case, I am referring to ways in which relationships are built, maintained, and, at times, restored. Cards are sent that connect people who may not communicate but once a year. Parties are held where people take time out of their busy schedules to catch up with one another and express their love and appreciation. The gospel is centered around relationships.
God loves connection.
The Christmas season provides a reason for people to spend time together, and often the gospel is proclaimed. A pastor friend of mine preaches a sermon every October on why everyone should host a neighborhood Christmas party. It allows neighbors to get together for fun and to build relationships. At every party, before the evening is over, the host can take the opportunity to talk about why we celebrate Christmas. The gospel is proclaimed. One year my wife baked what seemed like a million cookies. We invited all the kids in the neighborhood (only one attended church) to our house to decorate cookies to take home to their families. We shared hot chocolate and the Charlie Brown Christmas movie with the kids. We also had an opportunity to talk about Jesus and His birth, life, and salvation. We invited an unmarried couple from the neighborhood to help us out too, and they had an opportunity to hear the gospel as well.
Christmas is a season of giving. In our society, material gifts are one of the most common ways in which we tell others we care about them. Yes, people can and do get caught up in the debt trap, yet the crowds, traffic, and lines at the shopping centers and malls for the Christmas addict is part of the joy of the season. If you take a moment to observe others while in line or hunting for a parking space, you will notice that most people are more friendly and courteous than at other times of the year. Could it be the joy of giving?
Giving gifts is part of the joy of the season.
Giving gifts is part of the joy of the season.
Nostalgic, made-for-television movies with simple solutions to life’s problems abound throughout the season. So what’s wrong with heartwarming Christmas movies? Nothing! Christmas movies have a central theme: love one another. Every movie tells basically the same story: someone is in trouble, and someone comes along to love them out of their pit. God calls us to do the same thing. While the movies usually have a secular bent, including Santa and angels that do not resemble the truth of Scripture, the message is the same—Love one another.
Basically, all these thoughts are reflections of why I believe God loves Christmas and is able to work through the secularism of our culture during the season. So, why not take a few minutes to look beyond the pitfalls of Christmas and instead sing a carol or two, drop a few dollars in the Salvation Army red kettle, invite a nonbeliever to a Christmas party, send cards and letters to people you’ve not talked to in years, buy a few unnecessary gifts, curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate, watch It’s a Wonderful Life with your family, and celebrate Jesus. The gospel of the Prince of Peace will go forth and God’s kingdom will come to earth. Look around you. You are probably seeing it already!
For unto us a child is born.
