The War on Christmas
by Rev. Paul Howden
December 23, 2007
Fourth Sunday in Advent

Secular opposition to Christmas has brought about the removal of crèches from some public places. The Seattle Airport got rid of all Christmas trees this year. There is a sort of war on Christmas going on. Non-Christians intimidate us into saying the vacuous “Happy holiday,” instead of the more lovely, “Merry Christmas.” Even certain Christians resist the Christmas celebration. This resistance goes back to the Reformation. John Calvin argued that Christmas was unbiblical. In 1647, Oliver Cromwell pressured the British Parliament into abolishing the holiday, terming it both “papist and pagan.” The Puritans of Colonial America were vehemently opposed to Christmas. Not only was it “papist” in their eyes (Roman Catholic), it was Anglican; and it didn’t help that the term Christmas was a combination of the two words “Christ’s Mass.” Even Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher declared in 1871, “We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas.” Just recently a guy wrote, “If I have this right, Dec. 25 was the Greek’s day to celebrate the birthday of their head-honcho god Zeus, and then when the Romans won the empire they changed December 25 to celebrate the birthday of their number one god, Jupiter. When the Christians took over the empire, they adopted December 25 as Jesus’ birthday. Hence, I am considering ending my practice of celebrating Christmas… This holiday has pagan origins. Trees, poinsettias, and especially the date of December 25 are all pagan-based.” Well, that is the opinion of one believer, and there are more like him. The prohibition of Christmas trees gets support from Jeremiah 10:1-4. Let’s read that.

Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. This sounds like an attack on Christmas. Jeremiah seems clear. If the pagans, if the Gentiles, set up trees and decorate them, that should bar us from doing the same.

It is furthermore asserted that Christmas was never commanded in Scripture, and even if it were, no one is sure of the actual date when Mary gave birth. It was unlikely that shepherds would have been outside on a cold wintry evening tending their sheep. So, why celebrate a feast absent from the Bible, of pagan origins, and not even dated accurately? Moreover, the shopping, the over-indulgence, the Santa Clauses, the wreaths, the red and green colors, parties, isn’t all that merely an excuse for business to make money?

How do we respond to these challenges? If you have not yet encountered people who oppose Christmas, you probably will at some point. It is good to have answers, and celebrate our Lord’s nativity with a clear conscience. What is the biblical evidence and rationale for our practice? These are issues we want to examine this morning.

Christmas is the birthday of the Lord Jesus, and the biblical evidence for celebrating birthdays is in the book of Job. The sons of Job had birthday parties (Job 1:4). How about feasts and holidays that have no commandment in Scripture? Does God permit us to celebrate Christmas and Easter when there are no Bible verses that tell us to do that? Yes, the Lord encourages it. Jesus Christ Himself attended feasts that lacked a scriptural mandate. Let’s read John 10:22.

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

What was this Feast of Dedication? The Old Testament established the Feast of Tabernacles, the Day of Atonement, and the Passover. But there is nothing written about the Feast of Dedication. It was invented. The Feast of Dedication is more commonly known today as Hanukkah. Jews celebrate it with Menorahs, a Hebrew liturgy, and gift-giving. Hanukkah hearkens back to the Maccabees, 164 B.C. The Maccabees restored the Temple after the abomination of desolation perpetrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. This Syrian conqueror had captured Judea, and to outrage the Jews, he went into the Temple in Jerusalem and slaughtered pigs on the altar. The Maccabees were a family of generals who took up arms and ran off Antiochus and his army. They re-consecrated the temple and restored the proper sacrifices. The Old Testament Church decided to memorialize this event with a feast. They designed symbols and rituals that turned into a full-blown festival, and Jesus honored this tradition by His attendance. By standing in Solomon’s Porch, Jesus called attention to Himself as the true Temple. Jesus’ participation in the Feast of Dedication validates the principle that the Church has the authority to decree holy days and feasts that are not expressly commanded in Scripture [See Art. XX of The Thirty-Nine Articles]. The Church calendar rests on this assumption, and that is why we have the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity. The Church has authority to decree them.

How and why did the Holy Spirit guide the church to come up with Christmas? The New Testament holds up the nativity of Jesus as something very special. The Gospel narratives about Jesus’ birth are so beautifully told, and carefully chronicled that they beg for an annual feast. Remember the story? Augustus Caesar promulgated an empire-wide census. Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem. The little town was so crowded the couple resorted to lodging in a stable for animals instead of an inn for people. Think of the pungent odors floating there. That night, the Virgin Mary brought forth her first-born Son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger. A donkey perhaps witnessed the event, the lowing of cattle in the background.

In the nearby country, where shepherds lay keeping watch over their flocks by night, all of a sudden, the glory of the Lord erupted. Field and sky lit up. From out of the dazzling splendor an angel appeared and spoke to the shepherds: “Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10ff). Then, other angels appeared and sang out, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The shepherds were amazed. They ran to see. When they found Mary and Joseph and the Child they glorified and praised God for all the things that they had heard and seen. This was the beginning of a new era in human history. Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection would bring light, life and love to a dark and dying world. Since the New Testament writers report the birthday in such striking detail there must be something unique about it and worthy of our celebration.

What about commercialism, materialism, consumerism? Commercialism has to do with business, the buying and selling of goods and services, making money, shopping, and that sort of stuff. Sincere Christians fume that Christmas promotes commercialism: “What a shallow and crude way to celebrate Christmas! Too much time and money are spent on shopping, putting up decorations, consuming food and drink, and so on, while the true spirit of Christmas gets left behind. Get back to the ‘real meaning’ of Christmas. Meditate on Christ. Ponder the birth in your heart.” Well this sounds pious, and the people saying it surely mean well, and they are partly correct, but a silent contemplation of Christ’s birth never was the essence of Christmas. An invisible mute observance of a holy day harmonizes better with Gnosticism, as if we were disembodied spirits with no other purpose than to sit around and think orthodox thoughts. There has always been a commercial component to Christmas. The Wise Men went Christmas shopping. Gold doesn’t grow on trees, and frankincense and myrrh require human labor to produce. When you buy a pen, a painting, or a book, you support the people who craft these things. You help them stay employed. Merchants make money, but why fret? They provide the buyer with something pleasing. Business owners have been capitalizing on the holiday from the outset when the Magi shopped for presents to give the Baby Jesus.

Celebrating Christmas on December 25, has pagan origins, but so what? Chocolate has pagan origins. The Aztecs were the first to make it and eat it. The Aztecs were genocidal in the number of human sacrifices they offered to their sun god. If the Aztecs ate it, we better shun chocolate, right? No, that would be silly. That was then. Now is now. The connection between Aztec culture and chocolate disappeared about 400 years ago. God created the coco beans from which are derived chocolate bars. As long as we eat it in moderation, it is a blessing. Likewise, God created time. The days and years belong to Him. The Bible tells us to “redeem the time,” and that is what the Church did with December 25. It signifies the Savior’s birth “in the bleak midwinter,” the turning point of history. The warmth of the Gospel would gradually melt away the ice of sin.

What about Christmas trees? Is there biblical warrant for placing Christmas trees in our homes and churches? What about Jeremiah’s condemnation of trees? The trees Jeremiah refers to could not have been Christmas trees as we know them today. If you read the context of Jeremiah 10, you see that the people were turning these trees into idols. They were the objects of worship. Besides, in the tabernacle, God told Moses He wanted an almond tree (Ex. 25:31; 1 Kings 6). God commanded palm trees to be carved in the Temple, and Solomon did that. God was the one who ordered those trees in his house of worship. He mandated trees to grow on this planet, and it was so.

There are Bible verses that seem to encourage Christmas trees. Let’s read Revelation 22:1-4.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Christ is symbolized in Scripture as the Tree of Life (Rev. 22). The evergreen tree points to Jesus as the source of eternal life, ever quickening. In Heaven, the Tree of Life bears twelve fruits, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Christmas tree balls are simply stylized fruit reflecting the image of Revelation 22. Icicles speak of the winter season. The sparkle of lights and hangings represent gemstones, which God liberally placed in and around the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:11; Ez. 28:13). Notice the trees we have in the chancel area. They bear Chrismons, Yuletide ornaments. Each decoration was hand-made and has its own meaning. The symbolism is worth learning. The point is this: If God decorated the tabernacle, the temple, and the earth with such beauty, so can we. We are images of God. He is the Creator; we are sub-creators, and it is appropriate that our creativity blossom during the Christmas season. Let’s not forget the manger scenes and wreathes and carols, and the Hallelujah chorus. The colors and carols of Christmas enrich our lives. So does Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity. Christmas is only one part of the Church year. Many of the arguments we make in favor of Christmas can apply to the other seasons as well. Neglecting the church calendar would impoverish our lives. 

One caveat: the Santa Claus stuff can go too far. St. Nicholas, the 4th Century bishop, is a good guy to honor if we recognize his generosity, and try to emulate that. However, some people put Santa on a par with Jesus, ascribing to him divine-like omniscience, “knowing who is naughty and nice,” and granting him omnipresence, his sleigh and reindeer capable of visiting every child on Christmas Eve. On the other hand, as long as kids know that Santa Claus is a fictional character, they can have fun with the red-coated, white-bearded, roly-poly guy.

What about gift-giving? Giving gifts is a reflection of God’s grace. Since Christians have been the beneficiaries of God’s redeeming grace and providential goodness, generosity is one way they respond. God gives gifts; and we give gifts. Like anything, buying presents can be overdone. You don’t want to go into debt. You don’t want to buy a bunch of stuff you have no need of or no room for. But Christmas presents all wrapped up can be a wonderful part of the season.

Overindulgence in eating and drinking is a temptation during Christmas, and we need to exercise moderation in our merrymaking. On the other hand, the Bible speaks of Heaven as a banquet. The pleasures and feasting we enjoy on earth are foretastes of the marriage Supper of the Lamb at the Last Day in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Above all else, Christmas should bring us to the Gospel. Why did Jesus need to come to earth? Sin: your sin; my sin. Due to sin, an unbridgeable gulf separates a holy God from sinful man. Only the Son of God could bridge that awful gulf. Christ came to earth to be born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross to take your place, and through the shedding of His blood, redeem you from your sins. When you surrender your life to the Lord Jesus in faith, and repent of your sin, that gulf is bridged. You are united to Christ. You become a son or daughter of the Heavenly Father; King Jesus becomes your Elder Brother. Your Holy Father loves you. When Jesus comes to be our Judge at the end of time, you will be ready. He will give you a glorified body that will never die. King Jesus is also a Gardener. He will turn the whole earth into the Garden of Eden. The rescue of man and creation is possible because of the birth of Jesus. This redemption is so wonderful it is worthy of a wide range of Yuletide symbols, rituals, traditions and art.

So, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly… ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly.” Greet everybody with “Merry Christmas,” not “Happy Holiday.” Get involved with cooking and feasting, giving and receiving, cards and carols, worship and wonder, joy and gratitude. Appreciate the symbols and rituals that adorn the truth of God’s Son becoming man to redeem us. Because the birth of the Savior transforms everything, it deserves to be celebrated privately in your home and publicly in your society. Culture is nothing more than the incarnation of religion, and few things are as beautiful as a culture saturated with the sights and sounds, smells and bells of Christmas. Your life becomes richer as you honor the pivotal event in earth’s history.

Let us pray.