1. CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER CHRISTMAS HATER

I have long been greatly impressed with the writings of the Puritans, those early American believers who sought to create a thoroughly Christian society. In their society, Christmas was completely "pagan," the celebration of the same being outlawed. That's right - this group of believers made the observance of Christmas illegal.

Many believers throughout history have followed this idea, some of them still with us today. Many independent Baptist brethren, the Chick Publications crowd, and other often sectarian groups like the Churches of Christ would be among those who have no use for Christmas. I must confess, at one time I certainly leaned heavily in that direction. I was a theological "grinch" of sorts. I would give tracts to my fellow believers exposing "SATAN Claus" and so forth. I would whip out Jeremiah 10 on them, and "prove" that it was idolatry to have a Christmas tree - "Learn not the way of the heathen!"

But I was wrong. For one, I was misapplying Scripture right and left. For two, I was ignorant of Church history in relation to the Christmas celebration. Using my own logic back then, I should have insisted on changing the names of the days of the week as well (all derived from the gods of Roman mythology)!

Some say that we have no command to celebrate Christ's birth, and therefore we shouldn't. But this reasoning is faulty in the extreme. Angels celebrated His birth (Luke 2:9-14), the shepherds celebrated His birth (Luke 2:15-20), the Magi celebrated His birth - even bearing gifts (Matt. 2:1-2,9-11), and Simeon celebrated His birth after the fact (Luke 2:25-35), as did the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36-38). There is certainly Biblical precedent for the Christmas celebration, and to take part in it falls within the scope of the Christian's liberty (Romans 14:5). Jesus Himself celebrated a great event by going to Jerusalem to take part in the Feast of Dedication (= Hannukah) - a celebration "not commanded" by God (cf. John 10:22-23).

As my friend, Advent Christian Pastor Tom Warner, writes: "If someone's conscience hinders him from being able to participate in these celebrations, don't judge him. But, don't let anyone convince you that God frowns on our desire to celebrate Jesus - any and every day of the year!" Amen.

The fact of the matter is that Christmas has enjoyed a long history within the Church, and is a wonderful occasion to glorify Jesus Christ - God Incarnate born in a manger in Bethlehem, "the city of David." The early Christians, far from "caving in" to paganism, actually established the Christmas celebration as a rival to the pagan "end of year" festival. Not all that different from the "Fall festivals" that many churches have in October, offering an alternative to Halloween.

The main problem with Christmas today is that many believers have simply melted into the materialistic secularism of the modern holiday. We have allowed an irreligious and indifferent society to define Christmas and its meaning. It's nice to break out the "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" buttons and banners, but there is so much more that we can do. As believers, we can make our Christmas celebration far more meaningful by establishing (and in some cases REestablishing) some vital Christian traditions.

First, gather your family together on Christmas Eve and read the story of the birth of Jesus from Matthew, Luke - or perhaps out of a good harmony of the Gospels. Establish an annual special time of family devotions. Include prayer, and give everyone a chance to participate by going around to each family member and letting each one speak concerning the meaning of Christmas. Who knows? Perhaps friends and neighbors could become involved as well. Be on the lookout for people with no place else to go. This could be a powerful witness for Christ each Christmas season!

Second, have a brief devotion on Christmas morning. Before opening gifts, pray together and thank God for HIS gift to us - eternal life in Christ, the greatest gift of all (cf. Romans 5:18; 6:23). Thank Him also for His lesser gifts throughout the year - things we so often take for granted (cf. James 1:17). Read passages that speak of God's free gift of salvation (e.g., Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 2:8).

Third, experience the truth of which Christ spoke - "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Reach out to your co-workers with more than a $3.00 card. Type up a personal message to that individual, a message that you actually think and pray about. Think about it - how many Christians use Christmas cards as a witness and actually PRAY over them? As you collect the cards to hand out/mail out, pray for each family/individual as you do.

Look for needs that you can help meet. Many lonely, hurting people attempt suicide during this season. Others wallow in drugs and alcohol, while still others fight depression as their family goes without due to poverty, or as they sit alone on Christmas. Let's break out of our comfort zones and share Christ - not just with our mouths, but with our hands and feet. Instead of baking cookies for that poor family who lives around the corner, why not cook a complete dinner? Or perhaps buy them a week's worth of groceries? Visit a nursing home or a hospital, and share Christmas with those who have no one else. Pray for opportunities, and then keep your eyes open.

We can teach the same lesson to our children by having a special "savings jar" where they can set aside a portion of their allowance throughout the year. When Christmas comes, count the change in the jar with your child - matching what they've saved dollar for dollar. Take the full amount to the store and allow your child/children to pick out a gift (or some gifts) for a needy child. Wrap the gift together, and then pray together with your child for the one who will receive the gift. Then, on Christmas day, go in person and allow your child to experience that blessedness of which Jesus spoke. Such a tradition will change the life of your child forever.

Finally, learn the Christian meaning behind traditional Christmas symbols like the wreath, the tree, and Santa Claus. It may shock you to learn this, but there are distinct Christian truths represented by these things. Make your family and everyone you know aware of these symbols. Use them to teach your family Christian truths, and to share the Gospel with those who don't know Christ. As far as the children go, the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" is - believe it or not - excellent for showing children the Christian meaning behind Christmas while entertaining them as well.

Again, Tom Warner challenges us in regards to our children:

"Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and other friends of children, are you telling the story to children you know? We have an opportunity at this time of year to make a significant impact on their little minds. And, in the process of retelling that story, we'll regain a bit of our childlike capacity for wonder and awe. We need to hear the story as much as they do."

<see the online THINKMAIL BIBLIOGRAPHY #23 for online resources concerning these symbols. "Santa" is discussed below.>

May God deliver us from the separatism of the legalistic, and also from the secularism of the world this season. Thank God for Christmas! Let's all have a merry Christmas by practicing our faith in tangible ways.

2. I WANNA' BE LIKE SANTA CLAUS!

As a Christian, I used to shun the jolly fat man in the red suit every Christmas. I would even go so far as to denounce him as "satanic," making the silly point that even the name "Santa" is simply "Satan" scrambled up! Man, we Christians can be so ridiculous at times!

Is "Santa" a demonic plot to steal glory from Christ?

No, far from it! By and large, the mythical "Santa Claus" is a Christian symbol that has become secularized. Christian parents simply need to learn about the symbol, and desecularize it for their children.

The real "Santa" was a fourth century believer named Nicholas (you know, as in "ole St. Nick"). Nicholas was born sometime between 255 and 280 AD and died sometime between 345 and 352 AD. He was the Bishop of the church in Myra (now called Kale), a town along the coast of what is now modern Turkey. He is recognized as a saint by both the Roman and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Nicholas was perhaps one of the most generous believers in history, and especially enjoyed giving gifts to children. He carried gifts in a bag, and anonymously left gifts on doorsteps or threw them down chimneys. Any of this sound familiar yet? Need more? In Dutch, "St. Nicolas" comes out "Sinter Klass." Our "Santa Claus" tradition comes from the early Dutch settlers in America who honored this early example of charity with a feast each December 6. Eventually, the December 6th feast merged with the traditional December 25th celebration of Christ's birth.

Over time, various cultural and secular traditions merged with the facts about Nicholas - the long white beard came from a German legend, the reindeer and sled from a culture which had adopted Nicholas into their folklore, with other more recent elements added by Norman Rockwell and Coca Cola in the 1940s.

But all of these embellishments matter little. What is most important is that Nicholas loved the Scriptures and suffered for Christ under the persecution of the emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD), being imprisoned for his faith. He may have even been present at the Council of Nicea, standing for the Trinity in opposition to the Arians. He died a peaceful death on December 6th.

We can turn the "Santa Claus" myth around by simply educating our children about who Nicholas really was, emphasizing his love for the Lord, his suffering for Christ, and his generous example. Instead of pretending that the myth is real, we can instead stress that "Santa" is a symbol (most children have no trouble with such a concept - e.g., "Smokey the Bear," and such) that honors a real Christian who died loving Jesus with all his heart.

Furthermore, everytime we give a gift with love in our hearts, we honor the memory of Nicholas, and - much more importantly - the words of our Lord and Saviour: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Amen.

3. BRIEF Y2K UPDATE

Well, here we are ... on the brink of 2000. All of the Y2K hype has continued since I last wrote of this in September of 1998. In a bizarre twist, Gary North - a postmillennial "reconstructionist" - began engaging in the same type of "last days theorizing" that he once severely criticized (and rightly so) the dispensationalists for. The result? Let's just say that it would not be at all incorrect to call North the "Hal Lindsey" of the Y2K decade.

Buff Scott, Jr. recently wrote in his Reformation Rumblings e-letter:

"I have believed for many years that religious sensationalists missed their vocation by a country mile. Instead of writing books about 'end-times' and Y2Ks, and proclaiming from roof tops the imminent return of Jesus, they should have been producers and directors of suspenseful movies. After all, these religious sensationalists address the emotions, fear being the primary thrust. The intellect is left barren."

But, thanks to some, many believers have calmed down quite a bit and are now taking a much better view of things. Both Dave Hunt (The Berean Call) and Hank Hanegraaff (CRI's "the Bible Answer Man") have authored books full of high quality documented research that demonstrate the various fallacies in the thinking of the "Y2K = doom & gloom" teachers.

Other prominent Christian leaders have endeavored to consistently provide us with factual up-to-the-minute news (e.g., James Dobson's Focus on the Family), while others have stood against the hype (e.g., John Piper and John MacArthur) that men like Grant Jeffries and Michael Hyatt have sold to a gullible Christian community.

Many who are in the professional arenas who would know (computer science, banking, telecommunications, etc.) have gone on record stating that the "Millennium bug" will not signal the end of civilization, though acknowledging that there may be some minor glitches which will be subject to immediate repair.

Whatever happens, let us trust God - Who is faithful to either calm the situation -or- to calm His children in the midst of it. And when we wake up on January 1 of 2000, let's all thank God for everything and determine to live out our faith every day, and with all of our hearts.

<I have linked the best online Y2K sources in the online THINKMAIL BIBLIOGRAPHY #23. These sources present factual documented information in a balanced fashion which challenges the hype and paranoia.>

* Paul L. Maier, The Very First Christmas (32 pp.; Concordia, 1998) - This is a wonderful book written by a top-notch Lutheran historian for children (but I liked it too!). I heard Hank Hanegraaff on the "Bible Answerman" radio program going bonkers over this book - and his claims were not exaggerated in the least! Though written for children, the book (unlike many similar books) focuses on historical accuracy and straightens out some of the misconceptions arising from traditional "manger scenes" (e.g., the wise men were not actually present with the shepherds at the manger). Maier himself says, "Children's Christmas books are often long on fancy, but short on fact . . . these pages will seek to return the Christmas focus to where it belongs." The book is beautifully illustrated by Lucasfilm artist Francisco Ordaz.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." -- LUKE 2:11 (KJV)

The One born at Bethlehem was not just any new-born infant, despite the fact that most everyone in the world had no idea that the most pivotal thirty-three and a half years of all of human history had just began. The Angel clued the shepherds in on three significant facts about the Child, all of these facts being set within the (then) present tense.

The One born this day is "a Saviour"; He is Christ (= Messiah); and He is - are you ready for this one - "The Lord." As Matthew's account explicitly shows, the Child was worshipped before He was even two years old (Matt. 2:11)! Some have misread the Scriptures and taught that Jesus "became" the Christ at His baptism (a heterodox teaching called 'adoptionism'). Our verse above leaves no room for this notion. As the prophet Isaiah had long before foretold, the Child born was in fact "the Mighty God" (Isaiah 9:6). As Micah had foretold, the child born predated His birth all the way back into eternity (Micah 5:2).

Use your imagination for a minute. Sometime around 5 or 4 B.C., lying in what amounts to a stable (probably in a cave) - there lay the Redeemer of mankind among the very animals which He created. He was "with God" and in fact "was God" (John 1), yet He set aside His glory as Deity (Phil'p. 2:5-8) and became a real human being (He wasn't just pretending!).

No doubt, Jesus had to have His diapers changed, required nourishment from Mary's breast, and played with other children. All for one reason - that He might reverse the curse by crushing the head of the Serpent (cf. Genesis 3:15); by making an atonement for our sin through the willing sacrifice of Himself. Satan himself could not stop this blessed birth from taking place (Rev. 12:4), though he used Herod to try (Matt. 2:16).

He was infinitely rich, but He gave it up and became poor for our sakes (2 Cor. 8:9). This was the very reason He was sent by the Father (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10,14). Now that's GRACE. That's LOVE.

But it doesn't end there. The Child born to die was also born to rule (Isaiah 9:7). But that is a contradiction, isn't it? Well, not when you factor in the resurrection and the reclaiming of His set-aside glory (John 17:5) by exaltation (Acts 2:33; 5:31; Phil'p. 2:9)! Christ now reigns at the right hand of God (Acts 2:30-31; 1 Cor. 15:24-25; Heb. 1:3), having "all power in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18).

This Christmas, bow before the One born both to die and to reign - our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.