Where is Christ in Christmas?

There seems to be something of an unspoken war raging over Christmas. There are those now that insist no one give the greeting of ‘Merry Christmas’ because it might offend anti-Christians. There are ‘Christians’ that insist that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Scripture shows only the celebration of the birth of Christ. It never mentions any other birthdays that our Lord celebrated. There are no verses that tell us to celebrate Christ’s birthday and there are certainly no verses that instruct us on the celebration of Christmas. I’ve even seen it said that the very joining of the word ‘mas’ or ‘mass’ with Christ’s name is blasphemy.

Several years ago I went into a small privately owned store during the Christmas season. I was there to buy a special sized lightbulb but wound up having an experience I remember to this day. The owner of the store, an older man, was talking with another customer. Somehow the owner of the store drew me into the conversation. He told us how big boxed stores are now refusing to allow their employees to wish their customers a Merry Christmas, that they have to say Season’s greetings or Happy Holidays instead. This man went on to tell us that the reason they are doing that is because there are those that are offended by the very mention of Christmas because of its connection to Christ. This man then said that he was angry about that and so he’s wishing all of his customers a ‘Happy Jesus’ birthday.’

I grew up celebrating Christmas as Jesus’ birthday. As an adult I continued to celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday. Only…there was a whole lot more of snowmen, Santa, and reindeer each Christmas than there was of Christ.

My husband recently told me that he doesn’t mind anything being used to celebrate Christmas but that he minds that the focus of Christmas is taken off of Christ. In a lot of ways it would seem that, during a holiday that is supposedly the celebration of the birth of Christ, that the very idea that anything might take the focus from Christ would be impossible. But it’s not. Even the ‘celebration of Christ’s birth’ often takes the focus off Christ. Because all too often the Christ being celebrated isn’t the Christ of the Bible.

It’s fairly easy to celebrate the birth of a baby, especially when that baby supposedly came to save the world, but it’s not so easy to keep the holy side of that baby. In other words, it’s all too easy to enjoy the happy, feel good side, even to speak of the harder side, his crucifixion, but it isn’t so easy to focus on His requirements for mankind.

During a time when people supposedly ‘celebrate Christ’ they usually break the commandment about coveting. Most of them lie, many steal. Almost all of them fall into idolatry. Christmas itself has become an idol. So has Santa Claus. So has gifts. So has holiday shopping. So much of Christmas has become idolatry. And yet we label it as the celebration of Christ’s birth.

How much more of Scripture is broken under the guise of celebrating Christ?

I know we live in a fallen world. I know the majority of people in this world, even those claiming to be ‘Christians’ are lost, I know most of them are reprobates who will never experience eternity in heaven. And I know because that is their eternity, that their enjoyment of life is now. It’s here in this world because they will never have the salvation that will give them eternity with Christ. And so…Christmas may as well be the holiday that it has become.

But where is the real Christ in all of that?

Where is the Christ that said he came not to bring peace but a sword…in the holiday that says ‘Peace on earth’.

Where is Christ in the rush of shopping and holiday decorating? Where is Christ…in Christmas?

For years we went to a big holiday lights display. It was a drive through experience with lots of large bright light scenes. There are reindeers, snowmen, Santa, his toy shop, villages, palaces, Christmas trees... you name it this holiday light display had it. Except for one thing.

A nativity scene.

Year after year we drove through those lights and saw no sign of Christ in them at all. Then one year, after many requests from people, they put a nativity light scene in with all the others. And of all the lights…it was probably the worst scene there was. The quality of that scene was poor and almost made you wish it wasn’t there. Almost.

This holiday light display is in an area where Christmas is generally regarded to be the celebration of the birth of Christ…but where was Christ in the big light display?

In that same town the news station ‘tracks’ Santa’s progress around the world for all the local children to follow. They use radar, gps, and who knows what all modern tracking devices to ‘track Santa’ so all the kids know where in the world he is.

Where is Christ in that?

Last year we went to a play at a ‘church’ building that was a ‘Christian’ production of Scrooge. Instead of ghosts there were angels. It was very good and very well done. If it wasn’t professional quality it was very close to it. But there were so many costumes, realistic backgrounds, story lines, and what have you’s that today, nearly a year later, as I remember that play…I don’t remember Christ in the play.

Where was Christ in that?

Where is Christ in Christmas when Christmas is more about feeding the senses and the desires of the flesh than it is about Christ?

I have sat in ‘church’ buildings and watched as Santa handed out gifts to the children.

Where is Christ in that Christmas?

The other morning as I was driving through a residential area I passed a house that had a big cross, all lit up, in their yard. As I got closer to it I could see that Santa was kneeling beside the cross.

Where was Christ in Christmas?

When I was growing up I was taught never to call Christmas x-mas because doing so removes Christ from Christmas. But leaving Christ in Christmas isn’t about a name in the word. It’s about…

Christ.

And for Christ to be in Christmas…He has to be in Christmas. It’s easy for people to say ‘leave Christ in Christmas’ but when we look at even the ‘Christian’ celebrations, so many times we can’t see Christ in Christmas.

Where is Christ in Christmas when ‘Christian’ Christmas programs sing Rudolph or Santa clause is coming to town?

Where is Christ in Christmas when Santa comes to ‘church’?

Where is Christ in Christmas when children are taught that Santa was in the manager the night Christ was born?

Where is Christ in Christmas when Christmas is said to be the celebration of Christ’s birth but during all the Christmas celebrations Christ has no mention?