IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
The title of the sermon is taken from the popular Christmas song of the same name. The songwriter declares it's the most wonderful time of the year and then goes on to say why. The kids jingle-belling along with holiday greetings and gay happy meetings (that meant something different back then).
It talks about friends and parties and marshmallows, it mentions caroling and mistltoeing and on and on it goes. Not that the things mentioned in the song are not wonderful, but there's one thing missing-the birth of Jesus. The song talks about it being the most wonderful time of the year yet it fails to mention the biggest reason why it is the most wonderful time of the year.
Which highlights a big problem: the idea that Christmas is wonderful without Christ. For many people this is the reality. In their eyes Christmas is wonderful because of everything but Jesus. I would go so far as to say that for some people if the focus was primarily on the birth of Jesus Christmas would be a downer.
You've no doubt been hearing the slogan 'keep Christ in Christmas'. No more of this Happy holidays stuff, it's Merry Christmas. And you might think this is a trivial issue but I believe this represents one of the many ways Christ has been so subtly removed from Christmas.
A friend of mine posted a video about this debate and the host, who was a minister, basically said it's not worth arguing or debating about; when someone says, 'Happy Holidays' we should just be polite and respond in kind. My friend didn't indicate his feelings one way or the other about it, simply citing that it was interesting.
I took the liberty to highlight that although the video had some good points, I can see the merit behind the push for Merry Christmas. I mentioned that people see it as just another way Jesus is being pushed out of society. I noted prayer and the bible being removed from schools and 10 commandments plaques being removed from public places, etc.
He responded by saying I had some good points. I do admit that I don't feel the need to make a huge deal about the 'keep Christ in Christmas' movement but I do understand the issue at hand. We can look around and see many ways Christ has been removed from Christmas.
Let's look at some of those as well as learning the history of some of our Christmas traditions that became the replacement reasons why it's the most wonderful time of the year and perhaps what we can do to change it back to the real reason it should be the most wonderful time of the year.
1) Christmas traditions.
Was Jesus born on December 25th? The exact date of Jesus' birth has never been determined although some believe it was near March 25th. Most agree that it was not December 25th. So how did December 25th become the day it is celebrated?
In 274 A.D. the Roman Emperor, Aurelain decreed that the sun-god, Sol Invictus, was the main patron of the empire. This cult became the main rival to Christianity as the most popular religion in Rome.
In 354 A.D., Bishop Liberius of Rome decreed that December 25th be adopted as the day of nativity so as to counter the sun-god cult's celebration in correlation with the winter solstice. However, some of the sun-god type worship elements weaved their way into Christianity and thus, many of our Christmas traditions have these pagan beginnings.
In an attempt to speed the sun along on its journey through winter people would light candles and burn logs. To defy winter's "killing ability" they would fill their homes with evergreens, mistletoe, holly, ivy and other greenery.
The Christmas tree. This custom began in the early 1600s as an outgrowth of the Scandanavian practice of worshipping evergreen trees during winter. Evergreens were often placed on the ridge poles of new houses for good luck. During mid-winter, they were decorated with gilded nuts signifying stars, apples signifying the moon and candles signifying the sun.
Such festivities recognized the permanent "life force" of the evergreen tree in contrast to the barren hardwoods of the season. The Romans would hang trinkets on pine trees to honor the god Saturn. These customs were integrated into the growing number of Christmas legends.
The Yule log. The Yule log was originally an object of worship for Celtic priests known as Druids. They would cut down a tree and dress it with garland and flowers and used it to start a sacrificial fire each year to celebrate the soon-to-come spring season. The ashes from the Yule log were spread over the fields of German farmers in an attempt to increase the fertility of their crops.
Mistletoe. The use of mistletoe also came about as a by-product of the Celts worshipping oak trees, which were necessary for warmth and light during those long, German winters. The mistletoe was cut from the sacrificial oak and given to the people to be worn throughout the year.
There was the idea that mistletoe contained certain "charms". The Druids of England burned mistletoe on alters in sacrifice. When enemies met under mistletoe they would drop their weapons and embrace. This developed into the Christmas tradition of the person found standing beneath the mistletoe to have to part with a kiss.
So, although we don't partake in any of these Christmas traditions in a pagan way today, we can at least see how these things came into being and how their history has non-Christian roots. This awareness will help us to understand and perhaps cause us to change our focus on some of these elements.
Nevertheless, focusing on the traditions of Christmas can cause us to not focus on the real reason for Christmas-and that in and of itself is dangerous. Jesus highlighted the dangers of traditions. The religious leaders had taken notice that Jesus and his disciples weren't washing their hands before they ate; a major offense in their eyes. So, they questioned Jesus about it.
Mark 7:5-8, "So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
Jesus is highlighting that the religious leaders have placed religious tradition above the commands of God. In Matthew's gospel Jesus pointed out that they were allowing the breaking of the command to honor thy Father and Mother by incorporating a manmade religious tradition. For some people, we let go of our focus on Jesus and instead focus on the traditions of Christmas.
Col. 2:6-8, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
Although the hollow and deceptive philosophies Paul is talking about here pertain to other religious beliefs and non-religious philosophies but I can see this applying in the sense of being taken captive by the hollow and deceptive philosophies of the human traditions pertaining to Christmas.
Some people think if you don't celebrate Christmas you're being sac-religious. That is a hollow and deceptive philosophy. Celebrating the birth of Christ is a tradition, not a command, yet we can be guilty placing more of an emphasis on traditions then there should be.
We can get caught-up in the basic principles of Christmas rather than on Christ. So if we are going to celebrate these traditions let's remember to keep the focus on our thankful life in Christ.
2) Santa Claus.
'Ol St. Nick. Saint Nicholas is connected with Santa Claus but did you know there actually was a Saint Nicholas? He was a 4th century bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. He used his inheritance to help the poor. He once secretly threw money into a home to keep two girls from being sold into a brothel.
He did this secret money tossing on numerous occasions. Sometimes the money landed in shoes or in stockings that were hanging to dry. Thus the custom arose to hang up stockings for St. Nicholas to fill.
He sacrificed everything to finance a deep desire to follow and serve Jesus. Nicolas was a bold follower of Jesus and his fearless Christian stand caused many to hate him. During the years of brutal persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, Nicholas was imprisoned and branded with hot irons. When his skin healed he would be tortured again for refusing to deny that Jesus is God.
He was also a delegate to the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ. Thus, he was one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus is both God and man.
Nicholas was particularly zealous in defending Christ's glory. During a conference of Christian leaders Nicholas got so fed up with a man named Arius, who was leading people astray with anti-Christian doctrine that he walked over and slapped him. Nicholas was not allowed to preach after that but that didn't deter him.
He spent the last years of his life founding orphanages and protecting poor children. I don't recommend we go around slapping people but we should adopt St. Nick's attitude of passion for the glory of God. His life was a gift to others and so will our be if our desire is for the sanctity of Christ.
So how did the transition happen to where Saint Nicholas became associated with Santa Claus. Kind of in bits and pieces. We saw the connection to him being kind to children and the idea develop about hanging stockings in hopes of Saint Nicholas putting something in them.
But the transition started happening after his death on December 6th. This date was set aside to celebrate his life. No big deal there. However, this day began to take on a life of its own. In Holland, December 6th began to be known as St. Nicholas Day. In Germany, the legend of Saint Nicholas took on the feature of parents telling St. Nicholas how well their children had behaved throughout the year. And the children received either presents for being good or switches for being bad.
In Europe, the merrymaking connected with the legend of Saint Nicholas began to rival the importance given to the birth of Christ. The Puritans of England fought back in 1643 and banned this pagan revelry. Similar concerns in Switzerland and Germany sparked a movement to return the Christmas holiday back to truly honoring the Christ Kindle (Christ child).
But alas, this attempt fell prey to more legend makers, when in Switzerland, Christ Kindle ended up transitioning into...you guessed it-Kris Kringle; reviving the practice of a benevolent figure being worshiped rather than the Messiah himself.
But the connection between St. Nick and Santa Claus really took off on the early 1800s. In 1809, in his book, Knickerbocker's History of New York, Washington Irving depicted Saint Nicholas as resembling a typical Dutch settler, being described as kind, jolly, plump and dressed in a broad-brimmed hat. Irving dubbed him "the guardian saint of New York" and imputed him with the power to ride over the tree tops of New England in a wagon, dropping presents into chimneys for good girls and boys.
In 1822, Clement C. Moore wrote the poem, A visit from St. Nicholas which became known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. His depictions of St. Nicholas having a nose like a cherry, a white beard, a red suit and a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer spurred the fantasies of the legend makers of the era.
In 1837, Robert W. Weir did a painting of Moore's St. Nicholas, depicting him as a tubby fellow with a red-hooded cape, knee boots and a big bag of toys slung over his shoulder.
Thomas Nast's series of cartoon-like drawings of St. Nicholas in the late 1800s started to solidify our current figure of Saint Nicholas. Then in 1930, an artist named Fred Mizen painted a department store Santa for a Coca-cola ad. The following year, Haddon Sundblom developed a series of artwork for Coke that would be featured in the Saturday Evening Post among other publications. These iconic prints popularized the image of Santa we have today.
The name, Santa Claus, came about from the American children having a hard time pronouncing the name, Sinter Klass, the Dutch rendering of Saint Nicholas. And that is how Saint Nicholas became the red-suited, white-bearded, toy-toting, sleigh-riding Santa Claus of today.
The story of the real Saint Nicholas has been buried and replaced with jolly 'ol St. Nick. When you hear the name, St. Nick, you automatically think of Santa Claus, not the fearless Christian witness. When you hear the name, Kris Kringle, you think of Santa Claus, not the origin of the phrase-Christ Kindle-Christ child. All of these things seem harmless until you learn the history behind them and you see the transitions that occurred.
Satan is crafty. He doesn't mind there being a positive Christmas image as long as it isn't about Jesus. He's okay with the Christmas spirit as long as it doesn't recognize the Holy Spirit. He's okay with fun-loving Christmas traditions as long as it takes the focus off the birth of Christ. Satan loves Santa because Santa overshadows Jesus.
Don't get me wrong-I'm not saying don't celebrate Christmas traditions. I'm not saying you need to expose the myth of Santa to your little ones. What I am saying is that we need to be aware of how these things can outshine the true reason this is the most wonderful time of the year. That's why it's a big deal.
3) What's the problem?
We don't worship trees or Santa or anything like that today, so what's the harm? The harm is seen when the focus on traditions replace or override the focus on truth. When the emphasis is more on the tree, presents, decorations carols or even the family gatherings than it is on Christ then we can see the harm.
Okay, but what about the Christmas spirit? How can that be a problem? With the adoption of all the other Christmas traditions, especially with the adoption of Santa Claus in the late 1800s, you began to see a subtle redirection of Christmas going from the worship of Christ to the honoring of man.
Honoring one's love for his fellow man and relieving the plight of the underprivileged became the widespread focus of the season. On one hand it's a good thing-it's the season for giving, it's the love and joy of family and friends at the holidays; it's all part of getting into the Christmas spirit.
But when the best thing is replaced with a good thing-it's not so good anymore. We go from singing songs like, "Away in a manger" and "O Holy Night" to singing, "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". These are beloved classics that emphasize the love within the family unit but still miss the mark on the true reason for the season. The custom of sending Christmas cards and giving presents are part of the Christmas spirit but these things can displace the deeper recognition of Christmas.
I know people who don't celebrate Christmas because of the materialism and the pagan history behind many of its traditions. And that's okay. You can be a Christian and not celebrate Christmas. Nowhere in scripture are we commanded to celebrate the birth of Jesus. If you want to that's fine but if you don't that's fine too.
I don't think it's wrong to let the kids enjoy the wonder that comes from believing in Santa Claus. But if you've decided not to partake in the fictional St. Nick you're not a bad parent. However, if you do celebrate Christmas and you do consider this the most wonderful time of the year, you need to stop and think about why that is. If our excitement is all about the kids jungle-belling and the parties for hosting and the presents, decorations and all the other festivities then it's not about the most wonderful part.
For some people, one of the most enjoyable aspects of Christmas time is seeing all the colorful lights. They love putting up their own and they enjoy going around and seeing everyone else's. When you go to places like Lights on the Lake you can see why Christmas lights can play a big role in it being the most wonderful time of the year.
But we should keep in mind what A. F. Wells said, "Take Christ out of Christmas and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year." It's only the most wonderful time of the year when we keep the main thing the main thing. We may go 'oooh' and 'aaaah' over the Christmas lights but what about the light of Christ?
Isaiah prophesied in 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Without Christ we walk in darkness, no matter how pretty the lights around us are. When Jesus came, John said of him in 1:4, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
The coming of Jesus was the coming of life and light into the world. Jesus said of himself in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This is the real Christmas light. This is the real cause for celebration. The light of the world should overshadow the lights on the tree or house or whatever.
As pretty and magnificent as those things are, they pale in comparison to the light of Jesus. When we're focused on the birth of Jesus and that this glorious event meant the Savior had come into the world, then we have the reason to call it the most wonderful time of the year.
4) Not so wonderful time of year.
For some people, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. When a loved one has passed on or you're estranged from them it can make the holiday time very difficult. If you recently lost your job or received a diagnosis that becomes the focus instead of all the other things. Maybe you don't have any friends or family and you'll be spending Christmas alone. It can be the most depressing time of the year.
Financial or medical stress, loneliness, these things are hard enough to deal with on any given day but add it to the holiday season and it makes it so much worse. You see everyone else laughing and enjoying the festivities and for you it's like an agonizing dagger is being thrust into your very soul.
So what can you do? What can make it more bearable is to remember that it can still be the most wonderful time of the year for the reason it really should be-Jesus. Regardless of your situation it doesn't change the fact that you can still celebrate the coming of Jesus. And this might be the only reason you celebrate it.
You don't need Christmas decorations or presents or parties to make Christmastime wonderful. These things are all nice and can add to the enjoyment of Christmas but they're not crucial to having a joyful spirit. Reflecting on the reason for the season and focusing on the wonder of God becoming a human to redeem mankind is cause for celebration.
Sometimes it's hard to watch certain Christmas shows or movies or listen to certain Christmas songs because they remind you of better days or they evoke memories that make it tough to endure. You can listen to carols that focus only on Jesus instead. You can watch movies like the Nativity or the Star of Bethlehem to help you to focus on the birth of Jesus. You can contact your church family and share your feelings and hopefully get relief and comfort.
It's so easy to focus on what is missing for Christmas but that can be countered by focusing on what still remains. Although it may not be easy for you, Christmas can still be the most wonderful time of the year when you think about all the wonderful things you have in Jesus.
