Hey, hey! It’s that time of year again when we hear the jingle bells. It’s also when we see the lights, the shows, and the star on the Christmas tree. But how can I forget? It’s also that time of year when we just get excited, sometimes never even really knowing why.
Oh, I get. Maybe it’s the food, or the parties, or the holidays. How can I forget the holidays? But hey, could it be something deeper? Of course. It’s the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the One who came to save us, to give us hope, and life. Not just any kind of life, but abundant, eternal life (Jn. 10:10). Now, that’s something worth celebrating, eh?
But somewhere along the line, we may have missed the point or the whole purpose of Christmas. Do you agree? Well, I bet. While we may argue that Christmas is not explicitly recorded biblically, it is a meaningful celebration when we do it truthfully, reflecting on Jesus and what He has done. However, in most places around the globe, Christmas has become more of a show than a celebration of the Savior and King, Jesus Christ.
That is one of the reasons for this piece – to reveal some of the wrong ways we intentionally or unintentionally celebrate Christmas. And no, it’s not to condemn you. It’s to lovingly show you why Christmas is here in the first place. I pray it blesses your heart. Let’s begin.
Wrong Ways to Celebrate Christmas
1. Celebrating Without Christ at the Centre
Have you ever been given an invitation card to a birthday party, only to arrive at the venue, and see a different celebrant? That is crazy! Yet many times, this is how we celebrate Christmas. I watched a popular movie some years back that featured the Christmas season.
In it, there was this slideshow of photos revealing the man behind the season. I was shocked to my marrow when they said it was ‘Santa’. Really?! Santa?! Someone who truly knows what Christmas means can see that that is absurd and erroneous. But a street kid who has never known may buy that idea and run with it.
Christmas has and should never be about anyone but Christ. It’s His mass. It is a time to reflect on all that He has done for humanity and in our lives. It becomes pointless when we redirect our focus solely to Santa, the Christmas tree, the lights, shows, or the million other figures we so cherish without looking to the One.
2. Falling Into Excessive Materialism
Christmas is a time of joy. God made it so, even at the first Christmas (Lk. 2:10-11). But these days, it has been turned into something else. It’s more of a show-off on a runway with red, green, and white glitter. It has become a season where everyone must buy the latest shoes, dresses, gadgets, or even home upholstery.
People are pressured into buying stuff they don’t have enough money for, or even if they do, they are things that are not truly necessary. Of course, there is nothing wrong with celebrating Jesus Christ’s birthday lavishly if you have the means. He’s our good God and King, after all.
But just as said earlier, when the focus shifts from worship to show-off or to prove a point, it simply is wrong. Don’t forget that the first Christmas was celebrated in a manger (Lk. 2:7). God is after your heart before your hands.
3. Neglecting the Poor and Needy
A verse in Isaiah says this: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,” (Isa.61.1). This is the reason why the Savior came.
To bring good news to the poor. Of course, there are two ways to this. The poor in Spirit, or the physically poor and needy. To the first category, Christmas is all about sharing the good tidings of what the Lord has done (Lk. 2:17-18). I often hear it said: Jesus should not be your best kept secret. If you are truly excited about Him and grateful, then He delights that you share His message.
But this is hardly so. Most times, we like to be self-indulgent (me included), and we forget how blessed we are, and so fail to be a blessing to others. There are many people in need out there, and we are Jesus’ hands and feet. How better to celebrate His birthday than by doing the very things He would have done (Acts 10:38).
4. Using Christmas as an Excuse for Sinful Living
Because Christmas comes with a lot of glitz and glam these days, and in most places, most people are either unaware of its true purpose or oblivious to it, it is celebrated by doing the very things that our Lord Jesus came to destroy.
Some people in business use the opportunity to cheat their customers and inflate their prices. Others steal just in a bid to be among the ‘Joneses’. Many kids pilfer items, too. The bold ones even kidnap and hold others for ransom. Still others find no pleasant time than Christmas to indulge in excessive drinking, partying, and sexual immorality.
Sometimes, we tend to forget that God is God, and it’s His birthday that we’re messing around with, not ours. This is not to be so. Christ came and died to save us, to transform us, to make us a new kind of people walking the earth (2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 12:2, 1 Pet. 2:9). Don’t spend your life wasting His coming like Herod, who ordered a massacre (Matt. 2:16), and especially not on His birthday.
5. Harboring Unforgiveness or Broken Relationships
Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Christmas is usually a time when families come together to celebrate. But for some people, that’s the time for festering old wounds. For others, it’s a time to remember the sting of the past.
Still, for others, it’s a time to see their enemies, fake a smile, while silently killing them in their hearts. But this should not be so. Jesus came to bring the peace and joy only He can bring (Jn. 14:27). If anything, let His birthday be the reason why you make things out with your wife.
Let it be the time when you finally decide to forgive your dad, or your daughter for the pain he or she has brought you. Let this Christmas be meaningful. Ask Jesus (Matt. 7:7). He won’t deny you this (1 Jn. 5:14-15). That’s why He came. This Christmas can be the start of something new.
6. Celebrating with No Time for Reflection, Prayer, or Worship
Christmas is that time when there’s a lot to be done. And who can be blamed? We’re celebrating the King’s birthday, people! Not just any king, but the King of Kings. But you won’t deny, especially as moms or girls, that sometimes, you just can’t wait for the whole celebration to be done with, so the girl can finally have a nap.
You feel me? The work can be overwhelming sometimes, so that even when we have the right motives, we end up bitter or apathetic to what should be meaningful and purposeful. Of course, saying that the work should be cancelled would mean that there may be no Christmas, and certainly your little fellas would not like that development.
But you can intentionally create time to reflect. God is good. Ask Him. His Holy Spirit will keep you anchored. And hey! It’s not a bad idea to keep dancing to those loud Christmas jingles as you work, eh?
So now, if there are wrong ways to celebrate Christmas, then there should surely be right ways. And I am guessing you must have inferred some already. You’re a child of the King after all. But still, let me go over some for kindness’ sake.
Christmas should be spent doing what was done at the first Christmas. Praise and thanksgiving should be offered to God for the gift of His Son (Lk. 2:13-14). We never paid to have Jesus, but out of God’s benevolence and grace, He made it possible (Tit. 3:4-7). This is not necessarily because He didn’t have anything to do in Heaven, or it was such a delightful thing to be born to die, but it was because of His reckless love for us (Jn. 3:16).
Again, Christmas should be spent in worship. It should be a time to seek out the King. He promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him (Jer. 29:13). The Three Wise Men did so, and no, they did not just stop there. They offered gifts – priceless treasures (Matt. 2:1-2, 11). Of course, God desires that we offer material sacrifices, but the greatest birthday present He desires is our hearts – our lives yielded in full surrender. This is how we show gratitude for His mercy (Rom. 12:1-2).
Christmas should also be a time for giving. Let Jesus be seen in you (Phil. 1:27). Don’t just do the same ol’ random stuff you do each year. Give with intention. And it must not always be money, food, or clothes, though those are necessary if you have the means.
But you can also give a kind word, a heartfelt prayer, a visit to someone who doesn’t ‘deserve’ it. You can devote your time to a cause Jesus would be proud of, spend more time with your family making lasting memories that matter, be a more intentional and committed spouse, parent, child, sibling, relative, boss, or worker, step into your purpose, and most importantly, share the Gospel like the angels did with the shepherds.
Finally, Christmas is a time for peace and joy. So keep it peaceful and joyful. Celebrate the birthday of your King and Savior like no one else, but don’t get carried away that you miss the point. Read the original Christmas story all over again. Don’t worry, the Bible has got you covered, and the Holy Spirit won’t leave either.
And hey, before I say “au revoir,” let this Christmas be the reason why you come to truly accept, know, and live for Christ if you have never done so. That’s the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus came that you may be saved, live the Life, and spend eternity with Him (Jn. 3:16-17). You’ll never go wrong making that decision. He loves you more than you would ever know. Will you say yes to Him? Merry Christmas.
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