All I Want For Christmas
Since the inception of our church, our goal has been to provide teaching resources rooted in Biblical truths, historical facts, and principles that each family can weigh to better their walk.
We have striven to look at all sides objectively and I am blessed to have both Ephraim and Daniel to help look at topics from multiple perspectives and present solid information that hopefully you will look at objectively with us.
At our church you all know we have refused to take a calendar, a stance on the name of God and many other topics that have been proven to be extremely divisive in our denomination. We haven’t done so because we don’t have strong convictions on them ourselves, we have done so because they are not salvation issues that should cause us to divide and break fellowship. We have many families who attend both of our campuses that land differently on these topics and yet every Sabbath we are able to come together and have corporate worship without those being topics of debate or division.
One of the we haven’t addressed is Christmas. If you have been a Messianic for any period of time you know that the topic of Christmas is a very sensitive one. It is one that has caused many to distance themselves from their families during that season, some engage in mockery, or divisive speech during that season. Some flat out hate anything to do with some.
Christmas is one of the first thing done away with by Messianic believers. Right up there with keeping the Sabbath and eating Kosher. So today after 20 years of not celebrating Christmas and years of now researching both sides of the Pro/Anti Christmas argument I want to take a look at the history of Christmas and how it should or shouldn’t impact our relationship with our Non-Messianic family.
QUICK DISCLAIMER. THIS IS NOT A PRO/ANTI Christmas teaching. Each house should pray, study, and walk as the Holy Spirit is leading them in the Commandments of God. My goal and point is not to change your mind on whether or not you should or shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. So if you see this teaching in that lens you are missing the entirety of my goal. My family hasn’t celebrate Christmas for 20 years.
The word Christmas is not in the Bible. There is no command to celebrate the birth of Messiah. Although this is a bit of an argument from silence there is also no command not to celebrate it.
In Luke chapter 2 we see that angels come to shepherds in the field announcing that the Messiah was born. Giving Glory to God. We see that the heavens open and the Angels rejoice.
There is a Biblical precedent to rejoice in the birth of the Messiah. There is no command, or other Biblical texts to tell us the annual remembrance of the birth of Messiah was celebrated.
We also know that traditional Judaism doesn’t acknowledge annual celebrations of birthdays. They do however keep track because of the celebration of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
So celebrating the birth of Messiah isn’t bad. It also isn’t commanded.
Many have speculated that December 25th is the melding of Pagan customs and attached to Sol Incivtus or Saturnalia. Dies Nat Alis Invicti was not placed on December 25th until 354 AD. Prior to 354 AD the Julio-Claudian Fasti inscriptions say that Dies Nat Alist Invicti was August 8th, 9th, 28th, December 11th, and possibly October 19th. Emperor Aurelian honored the sun every 4 years on October 19th – 22nd.
Saturnalia was also not on December 25th. Macrobius says that Saturnalia was celebrated on December 17th. It was a three day festival. The Fasti inscriptions state that it lasted until December 24th.
King Haakon the Good placed Yule, a Germanic festival to the God Odin on December 25th in the 10th century roughly 1000 years after the year Messiah was born. Before the 10th century Yule was based upon the cycles of the moon and the date changed yearly. It was not static.
The Winter Solstice had no significance in ancient Roman festivals. There was no specific date and no specific celebrations planned. In fact it was a topic that was debated and argued. The Julian calendar placed the solstice on December 25th in 354 AD. Yet Pliny the Elder put the solstice on December 16th and Columella place the solstice on December 23rd.
If prior to 354 AD there was celebration of Messiah’s birth and they were on/around December 25th how did they arrive at that date? Dionysius Exiguus and Hippolytus believed Jesus was conceived on the same day that he died. They believed that he was conceived and died on March 25th. They chose to place a nativity on January 6th to celebrate it. Jewish tradition during the time of Dionysus and Hippolytus also held that a person died on the same day they were conceived. So it wasn’t a Pagan influence but a Jewish influence for their placement of December 25th as the celebration.
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens, because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, or they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”
- Jeremiah 10: 1-5
We see that we are not to learn the way of the nations, we are not to be dismayed by things in the heavens like others, and we are not to learn the customs of the nations because they are vain.
CHRISTMAS could be considered a custom. It certainly isn’t a commandment. Yet we adapt customs of America, and customs of Israel when it comes to Purim, Hanukkah, Memorial Day, and Tish B’ Av and others. Why do we treat the customs of Christmas different than those of America and Israel throughout history?
If we apply Jeremiah’s instructions here we cannot be distressed or dismayed by a Christmas tree any more than over the celebration of dressing up for Purim or adding donuts to Hanukkah. We must find balance in how we judge matters.
A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, or they cannot walk. -Jeremiah 10:3-5a
The Alsace ordinance in 1561 is the first recorded mention of what we now call a Christmas tree. There is no historical evidence that any early pagan religions used or promoted evergreen tress as sacred, let alone associated with December 25th.
The early Germanic tribes did believe that OAK trees were sacred and indeed used to worship Zeus. Yet Isaiah tells us we are supposed to be like oaks of righteousness. So oaks themselves were created pure. It was humans that perverted their creation through idol worship.
It is highly unlikely that Jeremiah was referencing a practice that would start over a thousand years after his death and writings.
It is more likely that he was referencing the historical practice of ancient religions creating Asherah poles and carved idols. Those were extremely common and are nothing like a decorated Christmas tree.
It is a large stretch for us to take the words of Jeremiah and apply them to a Christmas tree.
Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”
- Jeremiah 10:5b
IF YOU BELIEVE CHRISTMAS trees are evil then you must also heed Jeremiah’s other counsel. They are not evil and they are not good. We are not to be afraid of them. We are not to be dismayed by them, and we certainly do not need to give them powers that they were never given at creation.
There are many other things I would like to look at today about the customs adapted to Christmas but for sake of time I will wait for the more extensive article to be published early next year.
The birth of Messiah is biblical, the announcement from heaven is biblical. Men came bring gifts fit for the king who was born. Yet there is no commandment to celebrate. I also don’t believe we can label the celebration of it as a sin, or idolatry.
There should be more emphasis on the birth of Messiah. God became flesh. It should be taught celebrated just like we celebrate the many other monumental times throughout Messiah’s life.
Christmas has been used as a sword to cut apart families. It has become a topic that we have used to hurt others, share information that isn’t factual, and impugn our witness. The birth of Messiah was a time where the heavens and earth came together to celebrate what God was doing for all past, present, and future. The redeemer of Israel came to draw Israel back to him. Yet we as a denomination have used this to divide and sow discord which we are commanded not to do. Should you celebrate Christmas? I am not given authority over your home, I don’t get to make that call. But as one of the Pastor’s of this community and one of the larger Messianic community I am given authority and responsibility to plead with us to no longer use the birth of Messiah as a way to divide families, to be rude to non-believers, and to act in ways that bring shame upon the very God we are trying to bring honor to.