CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN Marlon Retana. The Apostle Peter, inspired by God, tells us that, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11, KJV) i. Many brothers summarize this passage as Speak Where the Bible Speaks; Be Silent Where the Bible is Silent. What does the Bible say about observing/celebrating Christmas? The answer is very simple, however, during several years there has been a great division and controversy between brethren because of this issue. Before we start with this study, this writer wants to share some of the lyrics from a classic song by an Argentinian songwriter named Luis Aguilé, You who are far from your friends, of your land and your home, And you have sorrow, sorrow in the soul, because you cannot stop thinking. You that tonight cannot stop remembering, I want you to know, that here at my table, I have a place for you. CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 1
Because of that and many other things, Come to my house on this Christmas ii. The message of this day will not be about the tree and its ornaments, nor about of St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, or Kris Kingle, nor of carols, nor of gingerbread houses. As the song says, there are many other things that can be added to the list, but, the purpose of the message today is simply, we want to answer to three questions, (1) What does the tradition say about Christmas?, (2) What does the history say about Christmas?, and (3) What does the Bible say about Christmas? Once we answer these questions, we will conclude on recognizing what the Christian should or should not do at these holidays. WHAT DOES THE TRADITION SAY ABOUT CHRISTMAS? Tradition that has been passed from generation to generation, and that even is called The Nativity Story, summarized, says, Many years ago in the town of Nazareth a young woman called Mary was praying. An angel named Gabriel appeared to Mary Mary and Joseph were soon married and they shared a great feast with their family and friends. Joseph was a carpenter and he made lots of wooden toys for the baby. Mary sewed swaddling clothes and blankets for the baby Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem even though the baby was nearly due. Mary packed the things for their journey. They set off for Bethlehem. Mary was able to ride on a donkey. After several days Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem Mary was very tired, but a very kind innkeeper took pity on Mary and Joseph and showed them to his 2 MARLON RETANA
stable. You can sleep here if you wish - my animals will help keep you warm he said. Mary and Joseph prepared a place to rest in the stable. They filled a manger with straw to make a crib ready for baby Jesus. During the night the baby was born. Many miles away in the East, three wise men saw a shining star. They knew the star was a special sign and they set off to follow it. Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar followed the star for many days. The star led them to Bethlehem. The wise men found Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. They knelt in worship and brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. iii It seems like a beautiful story, but, as a historical event, it is fiction, and certainly, as a basis for an act concerning our faith, it lacks foundation. We will see later what the Bible really tells us about the events regarding our Savior's birth. WHAT DOES THE HISTORY SAY ABOUT CHRISTMAS? Many years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, winter festivals were already practiced by different cultures like the Mesopotamian, Roman, and Greek. According to the Catholic Education Resource Center, Prior to the legalization of Christianity by the Emperor Constantine in the year 313, no universal date or even formal celebration of Christmas is found. For instance, Origen (d.255), St. Irenaeus (d. 202), and Tertullian (d. 220) do not CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 3
include Christmas or its date on their lists of feasts and celebrations. After legalization, the Church was better able to establish; universal dates of feasts and to organize the public celebration. Moreover, we now see the Church addressing controversies concerning Jesus as true God and true man and how He entered this world. Such concern would focus more attention on the importance of celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Lord. On the more practical side of this issue, Roman pagans used to gather at the hill where the Vatican is presently located to commemorate the "Birth of the Unconquered Sun" This pagan feast was celebrated throughout the Empire either on Dec. 25 (according to the Julian Calendar) or on Jan. 6 (according to the Egyptian calendar). Although not proven with certainty, some historians credit Constantine, who declared Sunday as a day; of rest in the Empire, with replacing the pagan festival with that of Christmas. Interestingly, since the 200s, Jesus was honored with the title, "Sun of Justice." Somehow all of these elements converged to the formal celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25. For instance, Christmas was celebrated in Rome by Pope Liberius (352-66) on Dec. 25. On Dec. 25, 379, St. Gregory Nazianzus preached a Christmas sermon in Constantinople. In the Cathedral of Milan, St. Ambrose (d. 397) celebrated Christmas. Therefore, by; the year 400, 4 MARLON RETANA
generally, the birth of Christ was set on Dec. 25 with the exception of Palestine, where it was celebrated on Jan. 6 until the mid-600s, when it was then transferred to Dec. 25 [all emphasis added, MR]. iv It might be a long reading, but we can clearly see how this religious feast was instituted. It has no base on what God commands, but on what mankind, in her wisdom, considered prudent and necessary to develop the faith. These men certainly forgot to search the Scriptures and go back to read passages such as, "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:10-16). We can see how these men, who were supposed bishops whom should understand this passage because it is right after the requirements to become one, took decisions CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 5
that went against the Scriptures in search of making the faith that they professed popular. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CHRISTMAS? The two preceding points come from the wisdom of man, yet this one comes from the wisdom of God. What does the Bible say about celebrating Christmas? The answer consists of just one word, nothing. Let us open our Bibles and read the events about the birth of our Savior, which are found in the Gospel accounts according to Matthew and Luke. THE BIRTH IS ANNOUNCED. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost Luke tells us a similar event, (Matthew 1:18-20). And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the 6 MARLON RETANA
virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Lucas 1:26-28). Luke gives us a name, but Matthew does not. Does it matter whether it was an angel who gave both advertisements, or if they were many? Our Savior once said, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53). The angel Gabriel, along with all the other angels, with or without a name, fulfilled their assignment. An angel is simply a messenger of God. These angels were sent to proclaim the birth of our Savior to Joseph, to Mary, and to the shepherds as we can read in Luke 2:8-14. If God would have wished to announce in which specific day Jesus would be born, he would have done it through these angels or through His Word, but it was not so, and the purpose of this announcement is, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord LET US TALK ABOUT BETHLEHEM (Luke 2:10-11). Tradition tells that Mary was on a donkey, but, what does the Bible say? CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 7
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child (Luke 2:4-5). And that's it. Matthew does not add anything else, neither other inspired writers. It is probable that she, because of her state, could travel on a donkey, on a camel, on a chariot, or simply, walk. Why is the donkey added to the story? To Christians is not important, it is not part of the Word of God and, therefore, it is unnecessary to spend time on it. Tradition says that a very kind innkeeper took them to his stable, but what does the Bible say? And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:6-7). According to Merriam-Webster Learner s Dictionary, a manger is an open box in which food for farm animals is placed v. It is interpreted therefore that they might be in a stable, but this is not necessarily the only place where a manger can be found. According to Holman Bible Dictionary, Many Palestinian homes consisted of one large room which contained an elevated section and a lower section. The elevated 8 MARLON RETANA
section was the family's living quarters, while the lower section housed the family's animals. Usually a manger, in the form of a masonry box or a stone niche, was located in the lower section. vi The word translated as an inn in Luke's passage is also used two more times in the New Testament. It comes from the Greek kataluma, and is translated as guest chamber in both occasions (Mark 14:14, Luke 22:11). The inn was not necessarily an inn, hotel or a hostel, it could be a relative s house, or just a room. Joseph and Mary might not have found a room in the house, but they could sleep in the lower section or outside of it, and put the baby in the manger that was there. Simply, the Bible does not give us those details, so as we cannot assume that they were rejected from every place and taken to a stable or cave, nor can we assume something different. If we, as Christians, do this, then, we will fall in the same mistake that those who follow the tradition does, to impose the word of man over the inspired and inerrant Word of God. What we must do is clear, we understand and accept that our Lord, at his birth, was lying in a manger. THE WISE MEN AND THE GIFTS. It is also mentioned, as part of the tradition, that Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar (or any other given names) arrived in camels to the stable where the child was in the manger, but, what does the Bible say? Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 9
they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1, 11). Their names, amount, and position in royalty does not appear in the Bible, where did they get them from? Matthew gives no number, names, or royal positions to the magi. Before A.D. 225 Tertullian called them kings. From the three gifts, the deducation was made that they were three in number. Shortly before A.D. 600 the Armenian Infancy Gospel named them: Melkon (later Melchior), Balthasar, and Gaspar. vii. Beloved brethren, if today, this writer comes to you with Bibles, hymn books, and communion cups, would you consider these treasures to have been brought by the Three Preachers? What would happen if, in the future, someone writes a book telling events about our lives, but assigning different names than ours? What would happen if, in that same book, they credited us with roles or titles that we do not have, i.e., President of the United States of America? The answers to these questions are obvious. God in his infinite wisdom decided not to give these details, and the reason is simple, it does not matter the name of those who brought the gifts, what matters is the one who received them and the reason why he received them. Finally, did the wise men come to the stable on the night Jesus was born? The Bible answers this question clearly. 1. Herod inquires to the wise men about the time of the appearance of the star on the basis of the prophecy that the priests and scribes told him (Matthew 2:3-7). 10 MARLON RETANA
2. The magicians found the child with his mother, when they entered the house (Matthew 2:11). 3. When Herod saw that he was mocked, he sent forth to slew all children from two years old and under (Matthew 2:16). The answer to the previous question is simple. No, the wise men did not arrive at the stable on the night Jesus was born. They arrived at the house where an infant Jesus, under two years old, was with his mother. Days, weeks, months? We do not know, we do not need to know, what we must know is that our Savior was born and that even men of science and other beliefs recognized him as king of the Jews and went to worship him (Matthew 2:2). CONCLUSION. Based on what we have studied today we can answer our question of the day, should Christians observe/celebrate Christmas? Let us recap. 1. The tradition of Christmas has no foundation in the Word of God, so it cannot be observed as a religious feast or holy day. 2. The story clearly shows that December 25th is not the date of the birth of our Savior, but a day was chosen by religious leaders to counteract the effect of pagan celebrations. 3. The Word of God tells us what we need to know about the birth of our Lord, and clearly commands us that what we must observe and celebrate is the death of our Lord, every first day of the week (Acts 20:7), by partaking of the Lord s Supper, in remembrance of Him (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Dear brethren and friends, if we say we do not celebrate Christmas because it is a pagan event, or because it is a Catholic tradition, or because it goes against the Word CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 11
of God, then we must stand firm about our conviction. That means that we cannot accept fruit baskets, Christmas bonus, or the day off. Again, let this writer be clear on this, there is nothing in the Word of God that authorizes us to celebrate Christmas as a religious event. We cannot (and must not) consider this holiday a holy day. If we celebrate it as a holy day, then we sin, because we will fall in the same mistake that, sadly, our Catholic friends do, to practice idolatry and doing things that God did not command or approve as worship. There is no sin in celebrating Christmas as a regular holiday. A day that our employers and government set as a day when most people do not have to work. Just like Independence Day, Labor Day, or Memorial Day. Even people that do not have a religious affiliation celebrate it that way. We, as Christians, know the truth, which is the Word of God (John 17:17), and the Bible tells us that we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one (1 Corinthians 8:4). There is nothing wrong in enjoying to share good times with our family and friends, to give and receive gifts, to partake of a nice dinner, and to create vivid and beautiful memories with our children. Let us enjoy this day off. In order to close, this writer wants to urge us to live peaceably, to practice brotherly love and hospitality, to forgive and be forgiven, not only today, not only tomorrow, but every single day of our lives, and, as the song says, Because of that and many other things, Come to my house on this Christmas. God bless you! 12 MARLON RETANA
REFERENCES i All the biblical references are based on the King James version. ii Luis Aguilé, Ven a mi casa esta navidad, 1969, CBS Records. Translated into English by this writer. iii St. Mary s Parish Church, The First Christmas Story, http://www.appledorestmarys.com/nativity.htm iv William Saunders, The First Christmas, Catholic Education Resource Center, https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholiccontributions/the-first-christmas.html v Manger, http://www.learnersdictionary.com/ vi Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Manger'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/m/manger.html. 1991. vii Ibid, Entry for 'Magi'. CHRISTMAS AND THE CHRISTIAN 13