Holiday? Holyday? Does It Matter?
A commentary by Larry Walker
United Church of God Pastor, Bend and Medford, Oregon
A familiar Christmas song captures "the spirit of Christmas"—that
warm, fuzzy feeling that is promoted in virtually every segment of Western
culture this time of year:
"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the
air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing,
meeting smile after smile. And on every Street corner you'll hear Silver
Bells, Silver Bells. It's Christmas time in the city."
Billed as "the season of giving," Christmas is widely viewed
as the main time of year for family festivities, including sumptuous
meals, decorating homes and exchanging gifts. In the marketplace are
the ubiquitous Santa Clauses and the incessant ringing of bells by volunteers
collecting donations for the Salvation Army. Christmas songs dominate
the airwaves and heartwarming Christmas movies abound on television.
Could anyone find fault with such enjoyable traditions?
Of course, all of us see the obvious downside of this occasion: traffic
jams, long lines at shopping malls, increased domestic violence and,
of course, the financial hangover in January when the credit card bills
come due.
But there are more notable reasons why even Christians decline celebrating
Christmas. For example, the very first settlers of the United States,
known as Puritans for their desire to "purify" the Church of
England, "... disapproved of Christmas and Easter on the grounds
that these holidays were invented by man and not prescribed by the Bible,
and as such could not be Holy…The Puritans particularly had trouble
with the 'date' of Christ's birth, noting that the
early Church fathers had simply co-opted the mid-winter celebrations
of several pagan societies, which was … true" ( www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/History/The_Puritans.htm).
Many today might consider these Puritan objections as extremist. Yet
a growing number of objections to Christmas celebrations in schools have
recently made the news. Some schools even canceled Christmas programs.
I am always happy to assist others in learning the biblical reasons
for opting not to observe Christmas that my family and I have learned.
We understand that, from a biblical perspective, there is nothing wrong
with giving gifts or having family get-togethers. It's just too bad that
these family occasions so often are associated with non-Christian traditions.
But that is destined to change. The coming Kingdom of God will be ruled
by Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords (John 18:36-37; Revelation
19:16). Once His rule is established, true biblical teachings will become
the way of life that the whole world will follow. “Many nations
will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord ...
He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law
will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah
4:2, New International Version).
The Bible outlines seven annual Festivals and Holy Days with traditions
and customs designed to teach us about Christ's coming
Kingdom and other important truths related to the plan of God.
An example that illustrates why human traditions often are unreliable
is the Christmas nativity scene that portrays "the wise men" giving
gifts to Christ in honor of His birth. But that was not their reason.
The Expositors Bible Commentary points out, " Bringing gifts was
particularly important in the ancient East when approaching a superior
(cf. Gen 43:11; 1Sam 9:7-8; 1 Kings 10:2)". These gifts were given,
not to celebrate Jesus' birth, but in recognition of His destiny to be
a King (Matthew 2:1-2, 11, Luke 1:31-33).
As Jesus told Pilate, "You say that I am a king, and you are right,
I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the
world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true" (John
18:37, New Living Translation, emphasis added).
The Bible never tells us to celebrate Christ's birth. That the
shepherds were still in the fields at the time of His birth (Luke 2:8)
also indicates that He was born in the fall, not the dead of winter when
Christmas is celebrated.
Some speculate that Jesus may have been born on or near the biblical
Feast of Tabernacles. That is possible since this biblical festival offers
a foretaste of the happy conditions on earth during the millennial rule
of Jesus Christ.
It may surprise you, but many Christians still celebrate this annual
biblical festival with family get-togethers, special meals and the giving
of gifts. It is a joyous family time; but more importantly, it is a time for
learning Bible truths by participating in these and other Bible-based
customs. The same can be said for all of the Holy Days of the Bible.
 When the Kingdom of God becomes fully operational, these Holy Days
will be kept by the whole world (Zechariah 14:16-18). I invite you to
find out more about these biblically ordained occasions. Request or download
now your free copy of our booklet, Holidays or Holy Days: Does It
Matter Which Days We Keep? |
