The other night during our Sunday, pre-bedtime, family devotions we were talking about Christmas, and I shared that I would like to pray that everyone in our church and in our own family would be able to see the only true meaning of Christmas this year, and that it would outweigh everything else we do, see, or even participate in.
I know, I know. Every year we say the same thing. But this year I can see a particular interest in my children to discuss this true meaning. So I described to them how Santa Claus, Rudolph, decorations, giving and receiving presents, etc. are all things that have nothing to do with the actual Christian holiday of Christmas. They are all things that have been added to the holiday—many of which as a means to celebrate the joy and anticipation that the holiday symbolizes, but the negative effect they have had on the holiday is that they have almost completely overshadowed the entire purpose for why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
So I proposed a question to them. I asked, “What if we could have a do-over?” What if we could flip the switch on Christmas as we know it, and introduce a different, and better way to celebrate—one that is full of true joy and gladness, not the silly frivolity and careless gaiety most people settle for. To most people, Christmas is only a “season” of joy, which proves that it is not real joy at all. What do I mean by this? I mean that the supposed “joy” we experience at Christmas comes from things such as: warm memories, tradition, giving and receiving gifts, parties, cookies, decorating homes and trees, singing carols, etc. But what happens to many people when the “season” is over? It is well known that many people experience a depression of sorts after the holidays. In fact, some British scientists even did studies on depression and suicide, and discovered that January may in fact be “the most depressing month of the year.”
Does this happen to you? Is your joy “seasonal”? Is your joy contingent upon external circumstances or events, such as the events surrounding the Christmas holiday? If so, it’s time to look at reforming Christmas.
In John MacArthur’s book The Miracle of Christmas he tells a story of when he was in high school. He and a friend had been invited to a party. When they arrived, it was very dark and slow music was playing. Some couples were dancing, and some were in the corners doing other things, but everyone seemed to be locked in embraces. It wasn’t difficult to see what direction the party was headed. Neither of them really wanted to stay, but they suddenly had a better idea. They didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a try. His friend looked at him and said, “Let’s change the complexion of this party.”
Next they went to the fuse box and flipped the switch that controlled the stereo. Everyone immediately got upset, but they didn’t exactly know what had happened. Then MacArthur and his friend appeared with an armload of games and led everyone into the living room. Some were so upset that they left, but most stayed. For the rest of the evening all those at the party had a great time playing games, and it turned out to be a great party.
What if we could do the same thing to Christmas? What if we could pull the plug on the world’s party, and introduce an even better way to celebrate? What if we could reform Christmas?
It would have to begin, of course, with realizing the true significance of Jesus’ birth. We would even have to reform all of the man-made, man-centered elements surrounding the nativity story, and ask ourselves, why was he born? If we all could see what Christmas really means, our immediate response would be worship.
Worship is probably the greatest missing element in the monstrosity that Christmas has become. I am not suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with putting up decorations, giving gifts, spending extra time with our families, having parties and getting together with friends, or many of the other things we do to celebrate the holiday. Those things add to the joy of the season. But they must not—they cannot—provide the joy of the season. Here is where so many fall short. Apart from worship, these things are inadequate responses to the ultimate reality of the Savior’s birth. The first priority in all of our celebrating should be worship, and everything else we do should flow from our hearts of worship.
When this happens, the joy of the Christmas season is everlasting. It does not fade in January. True joy is not seasonal. Happiness, fun, and gaiety are seasonal, temporary emotions. But we are never commanded to seek those. We are commanded, however, to seek JOY in worshiping Jesus Christ as God.
If reforming Christmas means starting all over, then the obvious place to start is worship. But in saying that Christmas should be a time of worship, I am not suggesting that we eliminate everything except worship gatherings from our Christmas traditions and celebrations. I am just saying, let’s start over. And let’s let our worship dominate how we celebrate this holiday.
Let’s worship like the shepherds did in the nativity story. They dropped everything they were doing to attend His birth. There is a sense of urgency and determination in the way they came to Him. Furthermore, they shared the news with everyone around.
We can also worship like the wise men from the east did. They fell down and worshiped Him; and brought gifts and treasures to Him. We sort of do this. We give gifts to others at Christmas. Have you ever thought of giving Christ a gift at Christmas? How might this be done?
Another character in the nativity story, Mary, worshiped with quiet reflection. In the busyness and chaos of the holiday season, do you take time to meditate on Christ? Do you spend a few extra moments with your Bible open, allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to pour into your mind and heart as you soak in His Word?
The bottom line is that Christmas, like no other season in the calendar year, ought to overwhelm our hearts with gratitude and adoration. If that is not happening, then you are missing the whole point of Christmas. And truth be told, you should stop celebrating it altogether, flip the switch. Do something different, something that would bring out the worshiper in you; because that is exactly why you were created—to worship. And that is why Jesus came to earth and was born as a human baby boy—to reconcile us to God as the kind of worshipers He created us to be.
Without Jesus, we are worshiping something else. That is why Christmas has the potential to be nothing but massive idol-worship. Because if Jesus Christ—his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, and his great commission for all to believe, be baptized, and taught to obey him—is not the central focus of everything that involves Christmas, then what are we worshiping? What are we celebrating? The definition of idol worship is anything in our lives that takes the place of the glory of God. The essence of evil and sin is to not attribute the worth, honor, and glory that God deserves to Him—essentially, robbing Him of His rightful glory. So we must ask ourselves of our Christmas celebrations, is there anything that takes the place of the glory of God? Do we bring Him gifts? Or do we rob Him?
This is a gut-check for all of us. Myself included. In our home we are praying about and discussing ways we can change the complexion of this holiday for our family. Why don’t we use the comment section to brainstorm ways we can all do this. What is your family doing?
I am with you on this one. My family and I were talking at the dinner table last Sunday. I have thought about Christmas, and how we traditionally celebrate the season. I would REALLY like to break through some of the junk and come up with some new ideas, that will promote the true meaning of our celebration, and come up with some practical ideas we can put in place that may make a difference in peoples lives and show the love of Jesus, as well as spending more time in true celebratory worship. Stay tuned... I will check back, once we have something in place.
Posted by: Des | December 14, 2006 at 10:41 AM