Isaiah 1:14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ~ Roy T. Bennett.
Festive season is not about us. It is about Christ the King. Over the centuries, celebrations have taken a wrong turn and morphed into relaxing, eating and holidaying. The Lord spoke to a generation that turned festivals from rejoicing in the goodness of God to rituals and religiosity saying, “your appointed festivals I hate”. It was the Lord who instituted these festivals and feasts but they became meaningless traditions and senseless ceremonies.
Christmas trees, lights, mistletoe, Yule logs and ornamentation would become meaningless if Christ is not the centre of it. In the pagan culture, the evergreen trees were a symbol of fertility, eternity and immortality. Evergreens and fir trees were introduced as Christmas trees in the early 19th century. Martin Luther introduced a candle-lit evergreen tree as a picture of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Martin Luther put candles on the tree, saying, “The candles remind us of the star that led Wise Men to the Christ child.”
Mistletoe can be a pretty decoration on our Christmas tree but has nothing to do with Christmas. It is an ancient fable about a goddess, Figg, who lost her son to an arrow made of mistletoe. After his death, she vowed that Mistletoe would kiss anyone who passed beneath and would never again be used as a weapon. So the candles we light, the ornaments that we hang and the gifts we share will become meaningless fiesta if there is no spiritual significance to it.
Meaningful Christmas:
1. Santa: St. Nicholas was a kindhearted catholic priest who served his community in 280 AD around the region of modern-day Turkey. It is believed that Nicholas threw money and gold coins into the chimneys of the impoverished and it landed in their socks and stockings that hung around the fireplace to dry. Over the years St. Nicholas was Americanized and commercialized into Santa Clause with a big fat belly and a red dress. The generosity of St. Nicholas is a good custom to follow but Santa Clause has no role to play in a meaningful celebration.
2. Singing: Many Christmas carols that have no evidence in the scriptures cannot be part of our celebration. “Rudolph the rednosed reindeer”, “Blue Christmas”, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” are just secular fun songs. It is very likely that Jesus was born in autumn and not on a snowy winter night. Carol singing that highlight scriptures should resound in our homes.
3. Stockings: Santa’s stockings are filled with gifts for households who have excess stuff. The way to defeat futile practices is to turn the focus outward. Children could be encouraged to accumulate money or gifts in stockings to give away on Christmas day. Christmas is about giving and not receiving.
Let us demystify the Christmas customs.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, may this festive season be meaningful and significant and not just fun and fiesta. Amen
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