Looking for Something More for Christmas? by Charles R. Newman
Luke 2:14 – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Dec. 14th, 2003
We all “expect” certain things for Christmas. Presents/gifts are most likely one of the most expected. Next I believe would be the food. Turkey, ham, dressing, yams, anybody hungry yet? Next, most folks expect family gatherings. This is where we are often disappointed.
Sometimes we simply don’t get along with all of our family. Most of you know who I’m talking about, it’s that certain cousin, aunt or uncle, or other relative that always seems to know how to get on your last nerve. They always have a better story than anyone else. Their children always get better grades in school. Their marriage and jobs are always top notch. While even their dog & cat don’t have any fleas!
On the flip side of this are the family members who we cannot see in this world any more. Yes, Christmas can be a sad time of the year when we miss those who have left this world. I still miss both of my parents, especially at Christmas. Christmastime always was so special at my folks’ house. It was done up “right & proper” every year. The tree was trimmed just so, all the gifts strategically placed to ensure only a minor earthquake on Christmas morning when all pounced for the gifts under the tree. I’m sure most all of us find ourselves in this situation each and every Christmas.
Christmas is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in America today. It is vastly over commercialized and the true meaning of Christmas is rarely ever talked about outside our churches. Let me ask you a serious question; if the commercialism of Christmas were taken away, would Christmas be the same for you? Oh sure, we all complain about how Christmas is so over commercialized and how the decorations always seem to come out a little earlier every year. But what if there were absolutely no commercialism in Christmas? After all, there is absolutely NO mention of celebrating Jesus’ birthday in the Bible.
Commercialism means to apply methods of business to something for profit, to exploit for financial gain. To determine what Christmas would be like without all the added commercialism we need to look at the true meaning of Christmas first.
The true meaning of Christmas is all in the name – Christ. The name Christ means Messiah. The full name can be said “Jesus the Christ” or Jesus the Messiah. The “mas” in Christmas comes from the old English word “masse” meaning festival. So when we put the two together it means the festival of Jesus the Messiah.
In preparing for this sermon, I have done some interesting research on how the modern day customs of Christmas have come about. I learned that prior to the Christian holiday we know today as Christmas, it was a pagan winter holiday. We have historical records dating back to the early Europeans, Germans, and Scandinavians. They believed in mythical gods and this was the time to observe a holiday that celebrated the end of what most believed was the worst of winter being behind them. The Yule log was a huge log that was put on a fire. While the log was burning, they would feast until the log burned out. The log could take as many as 12 days to completely burn out.
The first time there was an official day honoring the birth of Christ was when Pope Julius I in 349 A.D. made the declaration. The same date was also a celebrated Roman holiday. The Romans celebrated the god called Mithra.
Fast forward about 1,200 years and we find that in seventeenth century England, the Puritans objected to Christian celebrations that had no clear biblical basis. After all, the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. As a result, the English Parliament in 1643 outlawed Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. However, December 25 as a festive day was so popular that by 1660 the citizens reclaimed it.
When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 they also brought with them a distrust of Christmas. In Boston, a 1659 Massachusetts law fined people for celebrating on December 25. But again, the day was so popular that the law was repealed in 1681, although strong religious opposition lasted into the next century.
Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Catholic, and Anglican churches were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in the United States. Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Puritans voiced opposition to the day because of the pagan origins of most of the Christmas festivities.
The Christmas tree tradition was started in Germany in the late 1400s. At that time a popular theatrical performance, the Paradise Play, depicted the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise and was represented by a fir tree hung with apples. Soon the tree was placed in the homes of Christians, who interpreted it as a symbol of the coming Savior. The apples were replaced with small white wafers representing the Holy Eucharist or Communion. Later the wafers were replaced by pieces of pastry cut into shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells.
Pennsylvania Germans claim to have brought the Christmas tree custom to America. The first Christmas tree is recorded under the date December 20, 1821, in the diary of a Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The first known exhibition of a Christmas tree was held in York, Pennsylvania, in 1830. Early trees were decorated with fruits, nuts, popcorn, toys, and candles. Today more than 80 percent of American families buy and decorate a tree at Christmas.
The tradition of poinsettias in churches and homes at Christmas traces back to a village in Mexico. According to the legend, it was a custom for villagers to place gifts before the Nativity scene at the church on Christmas Eve. A small boy, too poor to give anything, knelt to pray in the snow outside. On the ground where he knelt, the legend says, a beautiful plant with scarlet leaves grew immediately.
The boy took it into the church and presented it as his gift to the Christ Child. Mexicans call the colorful plant Flor de la Nocha Buena (Flower of the Holy Night), and it is thought to resemble the Star of Bethlehem.
The poinsettia plant is named after Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico and an accomplished amateur botanist. He discovered the beautiful plant there in 1828 and brought it to the United States, where it was named in his honor.
Unless you have done similar research, these facts have all been new and quite possibly even fascinating. So where are all these details headed? Every fact that has been mentioned thus far brings us to what we today call the “commercialism of Christmas”. So, if we were to take the commercialism out of Christmas, we must take down our Christmas trees and all the decorations, take all the gifts back to the store, cancel the big Christmas dinner and even cancel the big family gatherings.
What would Christmas be without the commercialism then? It would be the fourth Thursday of December. Well OK – that sounds like a big ole’ day huh? What now Virginia? [i.e.: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause]
Just think, no presents, no tree, no decorations, and no family gatherings. But what would Christmas be without them? Let me ask you another question; what do any of these things do to honor Christ? [BAM!].
OK, so it just wouldn’t be quite the same. But what we must acknowledge is that we have allowed ourselves to accept certain parts of the commercialism of Christmas. So how do we honor Him on His birthday?
First we must acknowledge that we really have no way of proving when He was born. What we do know is that the “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field”. Friends, let me tell you, shepherds were not abiding in the nearby fields of Bethlehem in late December. During the winter months, the livestock were corralled because there was no vegetation in the fields. The point here is that we don’t know exactly when the baby Jesus was born. God is not limited by time, and therefore it really doesn’t matter that we don’t have an exact birth date for His Son.
If I want to honor someone, I do something nice for them. My wife is a very lovely lady. I like to honor her as much as I can. The way I honor her is by doing nice things for her. Sometimes it may be a back rub at the end of a long stressful day. Or it may be washing her car after several weeks of driving on the dirt roads of Holmes County. I like to honor her by cooking a meal when she least expects me to. It makes me feel nice when I honor her in these special ways. In a way, I make both of us feel good. I believe that you can really honor somebody by your actions.
By now, you probably know where this is heading. A birthday is a special day when we honor the person who is getting another year older. I turned 39 this year and I’m OK if everyone forgets my birthday next year – really! Seriously, to honor someone on a birthday means you have taken time out of your busy schedule to purchase a card and / or gift. You take more time to honor them by attending the celebration party - the party is held “in their honor”.
Since Jesus is in heaven, I’ll guarantee that He isn’t getting older like you and I. But having Jesus in heaven does present a bit of a dilemma if we want to go to His birthday party. We can’t be here on earth and attend His party in heaven – it just isn’t possible. Let me offer a solution to this birthday party dilemma.
If you are a born again Christian, guess what? Jesus lives inside of you!! Problem solved. Well, it just isn’t quite the same – but is it really different?
Jesus knows your every move. He is like Santa Clause times a billion and one. There is nothing that escapes His attention. Not only does He see you, he knows what you are thinking; something that ole’ St. Nick can’t even do! Since we know all this about our birthday Boy, we can really truly honor Him in a very special way this Christmas season.
First of all, you can keep your Christmas tree, all the decorations and presents. And you don’t have to cancel the family gatherings, although some might wish they could J. What we can do to honor Jesus is to keep His commandments. [Read Mark 12:29-31 (love God, love your neighbor)].
Mark 12:29-31 (NKJV)
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Just how do we keep these commandments in a way that would honor Jesus? May I provide you a few suggestions? A pastor friend of mine gave me something to think about one year about this time. This fellow pastor and his wife did not give each other gifts at Christmas. At first you might think this a bit cold, but wait until you hear the rest of the story. Instead of giving each other gifts each year, they look for a less fortunate family that is in need. Whatever amount of money that they would normally spend on each other, that is the amount that they spend on the needy person(s). This friend is most definitely loving your neighbor.
Another way of living the commandment is to serve someone else. I’m sure you wouldn’t have to look too far to find someone in need. We live in tumultuous times. A person can find themselves “down on their luck” in a flash in today’s economy. I know of one neighbor right now who is having some very particular financial difficulties. I can only imagine the stress at this very moment as they try to figure out how they are going to provide Christmas for their children and still be able to pay the rent next month.
Love can be measured in so many ways. What about that particular family member we talked about at the beginning? You remember don’t you? The one that always has to outdo everything you do? Is there some way you can show genuine love to that person? I’ll bet you can figure out a way with out too much difficulty.
It was genuine love that brought Jesus Christ to us as a babe in a manger. It was genuine love that took Him to the cross to bear our sins so that we would have eternal life if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. I recall a Christmas cantata we sang once, it was called “Love Beyond Measure”. I’ll never forget it. The song chronicled the many ways that God shows us His love. It is through so many ways that it can truly be called love beyond measure.
We have accepted so much of the commercialism of Christmas that we have set ourselves up for disappointment. As you study the image of the little girl looking up the chimney, you can relate to her feelings as she peers up looking for something more. What if you don’t get that certain gift you had hoped for? What if your favorite relative can’t come for the family Christmas dinner? What if the rolls are burnt, the coffee taste like mud, the kids are screaming and fighting, the neighbor’s music is too loud, what if – what if??
If nothing happens the way you want it too this Christmas, you can be certain if you honor Christ by serving Him in some special way, you will still have that warm cozy feeling that comes from within. My friends that feeling is peace; peace that passes all understanding that brings the joy unspeakable.
Yes, most of us accept the commercialism of Christmas because it has become our tradition through the years. It just wouldn’t be the same without these traditions. Oh, by the way, we put our Christmas tree up this week! Although as I am writing this sermon, the tree looks very lonely without any ornaments.
