Last November (2015) as a brand new born again Christian in a true relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, all I wanted to do was know more about the One that had given me new life. As I've shared before, I had never read the Bible with the exception of the very rare occasion I wanted to find a scripture that related to a particular circumstance. So last November I began to look for Christmas in the Bible. I searched and read and searched and read some more. I couldn't find it. It wasn't in there. Then I did what a lot of Americans do. I googled it. I believe my search was something like, "the history of Christmas." What I found was astonishing. This blog post is not for the purpose to provide the history of Christmas, so I'll move on.
I had always celebrated Christmas since I was a child. Both my divorced parents celebrated Christmas in basically the same ways. We spent hours putting up a tree and decorating it, shopping, wrapping presents, putting up Christmas lights, playing Christmas carols, put out little figurines around the house of santa, reindeer, misleading nativity scenes and such, wreaths, mistletoe, and on and on. Then, on Christmas Eve my brother and I got to pick one present to open. Christmas morning we would get to open the rest. That was basically my experience of the month of December and Christmas. I believe I went to church a couple of times, but that was definitely not the focus.
Now fast forward to what kind of Christmas experience I was teaching my children. Refer back to paragraph two. Yep, I was doing exactly what my mother and father had done with me as a child. Please don't misunderstand my writing here. I am not bashing or bad-mouthing my parents. The point is I'm guessing they raised me along the same lines as they had been raised and I was doing the exact same thing. I never inquired what God had to say about Christmas. I just assumed that since most churches and my parents "celebrated" Christmas and it's a National Holiday that that is what I was supposed to do. But now, I actually have a true relationship with Jesus led by the Holy Spirit. But now, I read my Bible. But now, I desire to be devoted to Christ first above anyone or anything else.
So, here I am with all this brand new information about Christmas that I never knew before. First of all I felt convicted for never in my 37 years seeking out the true meaning of Christmas or the history behind it. After the conviction came action. Extreme action. I took down the Christmas tree that we had already put up. My daughter wanted to donate it to her teacher as she was the only fifth grade teacher that didn't have one - so we donated it to her teacher. Then, I had a conversation with my husband that there is NO WAY I could celebrate Christmas as we always had. Then came the toughest part of all. How to tell the kids? Well, that part was not easy...for them or us. They truly thought we had lost it! Our sanity, that is! Now that all that was done I didn't know what to do next. So before we knew it, me and my husband were in a pastor's office with questions. My main agenda (to be authentically honest) was I wanted a pastor to show me Biblically how I and my family could continue to celebrate Christmas as we always had as a service to Jesus. To no avail.
It was becoming increasingly different around our house with no tree, no lights, no gifts. No kids excited and eager to find out what gifts had been under the tree for them. Not to mention driving around and seeing all the usual Christmas things in other people's homes. Also, all the stuff in stores and all the santa's and so on. Christmas was everywhere and I couldn't get away from it. Most people at this point would ask, "Well, you're a Christian, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Well to answer that question, "No, it certainly was not a good thing." I was seeing how much of our United States of America, one nation under God, had gotten the same Christmas memo that I did. The black Friday shopping, the going broke or nearly broke to provide gifts for loved ones, the pictures with santa, the whole commercialization of Christmas based on marketing to our human weaknesses in the name of Jesus, the focus of Christmas was SELF everywhere I looked. It was a sinking feeling. So no, it was not a good thing.
So Angie, what did you do last Christmas, you ask? Well, my daughter and I spent all day making tamales for the first time! We prayed and thanked God for our delicious food and then I read in my Bible. That about sums it up. The kids were not interested in hanging out with mom because now I had become a Jesus freak constantly reading the Bible or Christian books or listening to Christian music or something along those lines. But what was definitely absent from our home last Christmas was any arguing or bickering, absolutely no stress or anxiety, no running around frantically trying to tie up all the lose ends, no sleep deprivation from the nights and weeks leading up to Christmas morning, no dissatisfied or ungrateful children complaining about what they got or didn't get, no complaining about what the others got compared to them, no sudden drop in the bank account from money being spent on ourselves, no guilt was being carried because we felt we should have been able to provide more compared to other families, and no gladness that this "time of the year" was finally over. Not that that is what is typical of all families around Christmas, but it had definitely been my past and my families past experience of Christmas. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't all bad. There were great moments as well. Seeing and spending time with family and friends and a more giving spirit than normal. But for the most part it just seemed we were usually relieved when it was all said and done.
Let me share with you the Scriptures that had created this sudden turn of events around Christmas time last year. My first objective was to find out what Jesus had to say about how to celebrate or remember Him. One example I found was in Luke 22 Jesus was with His apostles and He commanded them in verse 19 that the bread He gave to them was to be eaten in remembrance of Him. And in verse 20 Jesus says likewise with the cup is the new testament in His blood, which is shed for us. Okay, so Jesus Himself commands His apostles what He wills them to do in remembrance of Him. Okay. Got it. Then the same thing in 1 Corinthians 11. But here in verse 26 the Word of God says: For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Wow. Okay, so Jesus definitely put an emphasis on His death, not His birth. Okay, got it.
Just my two cents here which are nothing - but maybe we should consider the reason Jesus emphasized us remembering Him by proclaiming His death (instead of His birth) is He knew that by proclaiming His death that would obviously acknowledge His birth discussed in Matthew and Luke.
But when we spend the month of December "preparing our hearts" for Christmas:
#1 Our motive is already wrong as we should be preparing our hearts for Christ...daily, not man made traditions during a season out of the year.
#2 Idolatry to floods Christmas (this holiday that Christians have adopted into Christianity in the fourth century from pagans and painted it with a Jesus' birth paintbrush). As I already stated I read and read the Scriptures and Christmas was nowhere to be found. The birth of Christ YES, but the actions we take around his birth NO.
#3 In fact, one could easily be so distracted by the focus on His birth and Christmas traditions that we are diluting what we know He has already sacrificed for us...His LIFE and DEATH and RESURRECTION.
#4 We are creating hearts within our children thinking this holiday is all about them. We couldn't do any more harm to them if we tried.
#5 We are creating hearts within ourselves that produce stress, anxiety and pressure in our lives. Who do we buy for? What do they want? How much can we afford? If we can't afford gifts what is that going to do to our kids? If married - which side of the family are we going to spend this Christmas with? How can we manage to fit everyone in? What are we going to cook? Who do we invite? How will we ever get everything done? And on and on and on. All the while in a lot of families just hoping and praying by a miracle of God that everyone will just get along for at least this one day.
Now I also remembered reading in the Scriptures about a time that Jesus was not very pleased with people at the temple courts. In fact, He seemed to be quite angry. He drove out all who were buying and selling there. He even overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He said to them, It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. That's all in Matthew 21.
Then I remembered the Scriptures warned of not following after the tradition of men. That came from Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
In Ezekiel 20 Scripture speaks of how the Israelites were constantly following after their fathers statutes and not God's. Jeremiah 16 speaks to this as well. And I heard the warnings there loud and clear. Jeremiah 10 speaks of not following the ways of the heathens in cutting down trees and decking it with silver and gold. Which some versions have translated as a scarecrow.
There are many, many more. You can find them for yourselves. In fact, I encourage you to. Please do not just read this and believe it. Read God's Word. Believe Him, Trust Him, Obey Him.
Now we are at Christmas time in 2016. I am still fuzzy on the whole Christmas thing. But what I am certain of is for our family, it was the absolute right action to take to stop (immediately) the way we had always celebrated Christmas. Had Jesus been literally standing in our home on Christmas day in our past I would have been full of shame and embarrassment. The way in which we had always celebrated Christmas was SELF-FOCUSED. It did not revolve around Jesus. It was all about us. It had nothing to do with what we as a family or individuals had to offer to Christ. Sure, we prayed before our meal, but what a measly thanks to Him compared to all we had done for ourselves.
As far as today, I will take the Lord's Word and obey it to the best of my human ability while submitting to His guidance. His ways and thoughts are much higher than mine! I will continue to remember Him as He made clear to His disciples. I will partake in the Lord's Supper and experience the unity and special moment of celebration of my Lord and Savior. As His Church partaking in the Lord's Supper we are announcing that Jesus is coming back and has invited everyone to a glorious supper with Him. As for Christmas as Americans traditionally celebrate it - I'll pass. It certainly seems that santa has taken the place of Christ on "Christ's day" in many people's minds. He even persuades our children that they'll only receive gifts if they're nice, if naughty they have a lump of coal to look forward to. Santa seems to operate on a works based philosophy. Not to mention, I believe santa is one of the best salesmen that has ever been invented. I'll stay loyal and trust my Savior that freely gave me a brand new life. He made it clear that His gift is FREE and produces a new life of peace in Him. Jesus even loved us enough to make it clear, crystal clear to watch out for idolatry. For He knows where that leads us. And as for the tree and the presents under said tree...not quite sure what any of that has to do with glorifying Jesus. Still can't even attempt to bend any Scripture to make sense of that. Not that we ought in the first place.
As far as my family, this year the kids know, without a shadow of a doubt, Christmas is not about them! Last year was a definite culture shock to them. I didn't enjoy watching their hearts break as this whole Christmas thing got turned upside down for them last year and neither did they. In fact it was quite a painful process for all of us. But, this year, no doubt our hearts are in line with God's will like never before. I do not expect any of our children will ask for anything for themselves. Who knows but God, maybe He'll have us serving people in the community in some aspect. I don't know for sure. But I have complete faith and trust that He will lead us to our next steps.
We American Christians teach that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is one day out of 365. The message I get from Scripture is that Jesus commands our lives (everyday) to be a response reflecting our celebration of the work He has done and continues to do in and through us. And most importantly the love He has already shown in His time here on earth and on the cross. If the Christmas spirit only comes around once a year in our lives - we should have concern.
I could go on and on but I'll close for now. I'm truly interested in hearing from more mature Christians than myself with more wisdom. I'm certainly not proposing a ban on Christmas either. I'm just sharing where my rebirth has led me at this point. Even through all the idolatry that we as Americans seem to have going on this time of year I trust God is using the circumstances to add to His Kingdom. I guess this blog post could be summed up with the following sentence: I would hope that someday, the day we Christians claim to be a celebration of the birth of our Savior, would revolve around Him - not us. (And definitely NOT santa claus)
Let us not allow the adversary, that old serpent, the devil to twist the Truth of Jesus any longer. If Christians want to designate a particular day to celebrate the birth of our Savior then He has given us the freedom in Him to do so. But please someone more mature and wiser in Christ than me explain why we use idolatry and greed to do that? Lets re-examine our traditions of Christmas as individuals, communities and as a nation. Surely, as His Church, we can do better than serving up a main course of idolatry with a side dish of Jesus when celebrating our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and Space for you and for others always - no matter what it looks like.
Living in His love,
Angie
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