So This is Christmas...?
Do you believe the true meaning of Christmas has been lost through commercialization? Many of us would like to blame "greedy retailers" for hijacking the holiday's identity; however, sad as it may seem, Christmas has been flawed from its conception. By allowing pagan worship to be infused into the celebration of Christ's birth, we are left with the unintended consequence of a hybrid religious/secular Christmas.
From its roots within the Roman Empire, the celebration of "Christ's Mass" has incorporated pagan rituals. The Roman Church, in an attempt to reach the masses, allowed the continuation of pagan worship within the realm of Christianity. Many of the holiday traditions we have come to love, have their origins in Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman rituals. Gift giving, caroling, tree and house decorating, etc...are all pagan traditions incorporated into Christmas.
Christ's birth date of December 25th is a myth in itself. This date had long been a pagan festival throughout the territories of Rome known as Sol Invictus, which involved sun worship. Leading up to this festival beginning December 17th, was Saturnalia, a weeklong celebration to the god Saturn. It involved gift giving, door-to-door singing, and house decorating with wreaths and lights. A darker side to the celebration involved sexual indulgences, drunkenness, and violence. It is believed that Pope Julius I chose December 25th in an attempt to overshadow the pagan festivals with an official Christian holiday. However, the citizens of Rome had a hard time breaking old habits, and many of the traditions from the pagan festivals became embedded within Christmas. Jesus himself said, "All to well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your traditions" (Mark 7:9).
Today, we are living in a time when secular Santa (another pagan influx) and his elves are closing the door to the nativity of Christ. I would like to offer a solution to all who think the spiritual meaning of Christmas has been lost--let's move Christmas to mid-September. Yes, this may seem like a ludicrous suggestion at first, but allow me to expand upon the point. Most scholars believe that Jesus was born in either the spring or fall. The Bible tells us, "there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night" (Luke 2:8). It is highly unlikely that shepherds would have been in the fields during December, which is traditionally marked by freezing temperatures in the region.
Another advantage to this strategic move is that Christmas would be a holiday unto itself. No longer would Christmas be crowded out by the likes of Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve. Just think about the potential, no more political correctiveness to worry about. No more disagreements about whether we should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Perhaps, the biggest advantage would be the separation from Santa, leaving December 25th to him and his elves.
Some guidelines would be needed to avoid repeating previous mistakes. The Jews for example, have procedures in place for celebrating their festivals to ensure they are accurately performed generation after generation. Likewise, the new revamped Christmas, could model itself along these lines to guarantee it would remain "adulterated" free. A pure and simple celebration of the birth and life of Jesus could include the following: the conviction to give and not expect in return, a kind gesture to your neighbors, a reading of the nativity story from the Bible, and a donation to the poor. This day would be a time to embrace and act upon the gospel of Jesus Christ without all the glamour and glitz of the current holiday.
Ok, for all who are interested, what should we do to get this ball rolling? Should we petition the President or perhaps our current religious leaders? Should we start a grassroots campaign or perhaps boycott the current Christmas? In reality, the first thing we must do is to keep the story of Christ's birth in our hearts. This holiday is about the birth of the Savior of the world, who came to bring eternal life to those willing to accept Him. Once we recognize that "Jesus is the reason for the season" we move on and pave the way for a new, bold, Christmas circumcised of its old nature.
There is coming a day when people will worship Jesus everyday. The Bible says, "every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:11). However, in the meantime, let's at least take Christmas and celebrate it for the right reason.
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