The Scoop on Christmas

Part 1: Introduction 

As many of you know, Jesus was not born on December 25th. Now before you shut down, put away all your Christmas decorations, and become the Scrooge—Bah Humbug!—there is a reason why we celebrate when we do. And it truly is a great reason! So, let's jump into it.

 

The Mystery of Christ's Birth Date

December 25th was not the date of Jesus' birth, nor was He believed to be born in the month of December at all. The exact date of this miraculous virgin birth remains a mystery and will continue to be that way until the day we can ask God himself.

Many scholars believe the date to be either in the springtime or in the fall. I know, I know—that's quite the span of time. It’s like saying did you see all those deer in the field next door to Pastor’s house? There was like 10-50 of them… The truth is simply... WE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT IS! We are guessing! 

Matthew 2:1 tells us that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod, sometime between 6 and 5 BC. We speculate that the season of his birth was in the fall or springtime because shepherds would not likely be out in the fields with their sheep in the winter. Scripture tells us that angels appeared to shepherds who were out in the field tending their flock to announce the Savior's birth (Luke 2:8-10). This points to the fall as the most likely timeframe.

Why December 25th? 

So, the question still remains... why December 25th then? In the 4th century, the church in Rome formalized that day as our celebration day for a really good reason. This conclusion was not made by a board of elders blindfolding their pastor, spinning him around until he was nauseous, then having him throw a dart at a calendar on the wall. NOPE! This was far from the case.  This date was chosen to coincide with—or what I like to call 'cover up'—a popular Roman pagan festival honoring the sun god, Saturn (Saturnalia) and the unconquered sun.

December 25th was a holiday for another god, and the church was not having it! The winter solstice marked the shortest day of the year, symbolizing the coming of light. The days begin to get longer, and the hope of spring is a short few months away. Think of it as their version of our Groundhog Day—spring is on its way. Life, renewal, warmth... This was the birth, or more commonly celebrated, the rebirth of the sun.  The early church, I'm sure, was not fond of this holiday, so what should they do? Make it their own! They made the decision to take a holiday that we did not know a specific date for and cover up the worship of a god that does not exist. They proclaimed Jesus as the true Light that entered the world—not the sun god Saturn!

Around 336 AD, during the reign of Emperor Constantine, this date was solidified. However, it wasn't for another few centuries that Christmas finally became a major holiday to be celebrated. (Whispering out of the side of my mouth) It didn't catch on at first.

 

Part 2: Evolution of Christmas Traditions 

The celebration of Christmas over the last 2,000 years—give or take a few hundred (I was never very good at math)—has evolved into what we know today. This pagan winter solstice and winter festival increasingly became less popular as Christians around the world replaced their holiday with one of our own!  We did not, however, only adopt their date of celebration; we also redeemed their symbols of celebration. I don't know if it was to redeem the day and the symbols, or just because the Roman Church wasn't creative enough to come up with their own.

We thought that the evergreen tree was a perfect way to celebrate. 'Hey, you know that dirty ole thing that belongs outside in the front yard? Bring it into your living room, put stuff on it, and let's sing songs around it until it dries up and makes a giant mess all over your carpeting.' What a great idea, right? Well, it is more than that.

The Christmas Tree: From Pagan Symbol to Christian Testimony 

That beautiful Christmas tree standing in the corner of your living room, bedroom, bathroom, front porch, and on top of the fridge began with pagan roots. Yes, you heard me right, it has evil origins... (insert ominous music in your head here)  The pagan celebrations recognized the evergreen tree and its boughs as life during the darkness of winter. They noticed that when all other life ceased to exist during this period, the evergreen tree stood alive and well during the harshest winter months. To be honest with you, living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the winter season makes me feel like existing elsewhere, but that's beside the point. They felt this tree was worthy of worship because it portrayed power and majesty through its resilience.  Well, we decided to claim it as our own! Martin Luther reportedly added candles (I do not recommend doing this as it may start your house on fire) to the evergreen tree to represent Christ as the light of the world and the one and only true light. The tree itself wasn't to be worshipped, and it did not hold special powers, but it could symbolize the One who was worthy of worship and did have power. 

This practice evolved over the next years into a Medieval symbol of the 'Paradise Tree' featuring apples (symbolizing our sin) and wafers (symbolizing our redemption). This tree was used in plays involving the story of Adam and Eve portraying biblical truths. The practice evolved into the Christmas tree as we know it today—with shiny bulbs replacing the apples, and Christmas cookies replacing the wafers. The candles were replaced by colorful lights symbolizing Jesus as the light of the world (probably for the best). That star you so gently and carefully place on top reminds us of the star that appeared over the place of Jesus' birth, guiding the wisemen and shepherds to the Christ Child.  And by the 16^th century the modern-day Christmas tree emerged in Germany with all the bells, whistles, colorful lights, and treats that we know today.

What we need to make sure is that it's not just a simple decoration in our home or something that we worship above God, because then it all comes to a screaming halt, and the pagan roots are once again allowed to shine through this tradition. Jesus redeemed the evergreen tree from an evil pagan ritual. Redeem it in your home once again!

Part 3:

The Truth Behind the Nativity Scene 

Phew, that has been a lot of information, and my fingers are getting tired from typing, but that's not all. Our celebration today holds many misconceptions and strays from truth. Take a look around your home. Do you have a Nativity Set placed on your mantel or window sill? Heck, I visited a home once that had one on the back of the toilet. I guess it gives us something to talk to while we're taking care of business.  That scene that you placed out with so much care and love is all wrong... But once we understand the truth behind it, it becomes a beautiful centerpiece for us to tell the story of our Lord's miraculous birth! The word 'Nativity' simply means 'the occasion of a person's birth.' If I may, let me use this in a sentence for you: 'The place of my nativity is Escanaba, Michigan.' Simple, right? That scene is showing the place and story of Jesus' birth.  Luke 2:7 tells us that Jesus was born and laid in a manger (animal feeding trough or box) and wrapped in strips of cloth. So, what's wrong with those porcelain figurines, the fake snow, all the hay, and the beautiful barn backdrop? Well, let me tell ya!

 

Misconception #1: The Birthplace

Misconception #1 is that Jesus was born in a barn at an Inn which I imagine looks like the neighborhood Hotel 6. 'They left the light on for me once but really should have kept it off so I could not see what the room looked like!' YIKES! Anyway, I digress.  The scripture only specifies that there was 'no room at the Inn, and not that it is where they set up camp for the night' At the time of Jesus, the Inn was more than likely a person's home that rented out a room to weary travelers. The town was busy with people because of the census happening, and Joseph's cell phone died hours ago, so he could not call to make reservations. (Luke 2:1-5) Just kidding—Joseph did not have a cell phone. 

Many scholars believe that Mary's 'hospital room' was either a cave or a lower-level room of a home where they kept the livestock. Not a beautiful barn that was used last week for the Smith wedding. The fact of the matter is that Jesus entered this world in the humblest of circumstances without all the amenities of a normal birth of a King or of a normal human being for that matter. Most births would have been a little more clean and sanitary (maybe) But this was God's ordained plan from the very beginning. Jesus’ humble birth Luke 2:7

 

Misconception #2: The Wise Men 

Now please don't get me wrong, the Nativity Set is a beautiful thing, and I display mine proudly in my home, but there is myrrh... Get it? Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, 3 wisemen gifts? Anyway! 

Misconception #2: Now direct your attention to the 3 rich-looking dudes standing outside your set. They come to the bedside of Jesus presenting gifts for His birth. It's the baby shower of a lifetime! But the timing is a little off.  Matthew Chapter 2 tells us all about these fancy fellas and their gifts. The truth is that they were not there when Jesus was a newborn baby. Actually, they traveled what scholars believe could be up to 2 years to visit the Savior of the World. Jesus was still a child when they arrived, but he would have more than likely been a toddler and living in a house.  We don't know the exact age of Jesus when they finally did arrive, but what we do know is that when the Magi (AKA wise men) stopped and asked the King for directions, it made the him a little upset that there was another king in the area. He ordered all male children under the age of 2 years old to be slaughtered. If you can't find the one, kill them all, I guess.

So that puts Jesus at up to 2 years old when the wisemen finally got there with their gifts. Better late than never, I always say! 

And secondly, we have these 3 wise guys standing around awkwardly with treasure chests on our mantel. We gather the number of guys from the amount of gifts that were 3 given, so we extrapolate that there were three guys. WRONG! These rich travelers in this time would have traveled in large packs for safety and security of the riches and gifts that they carried. It was dangerous out there. Safety comes in numbers when you are valuable. So instead of 3 magi on your mantel, make room for up to maybe 100. You thought that 3 is a crowd? You would probably not have room for all the figurines in this set. Make room for the wisemen!

A More Accurate Nativity 

So, if our nativity set was to be absolutely accurate, I would envision it this way, and maybe you'll see it on the market someday:

Mary would be lying in the corner recovering from child labor (I don't think they had epidurals back in the time of Jesus' birth).

Joseph would have a look of complete terror on his face because he is now a new daddy.

There would be an enormous group of wisemen a few hundred miles off, but on their way, and there would probably be no snow in this desert town.

The lodging would be stinky and dirty, most likely a dark cave or a small stable where animals dwelt.

But one thing is for sure: it was definitely a peaceful, God-ordained event. 

Part 4: Redeeming Christmas 

We have chosen this day to celebrate Jesus. We use the tree to remind us of the reason He came, and we put out the nativity to tell the story of His coming. We give gifts as a symbol of the one and only greatest gift ever given: Jesus Christ. 

Redeem your Christmas celebration by bringing Christ back to the center of your holiday. Whether it is completely accurate or not, we do not know the full truth because it has not been revealed, but one thing remains constant: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World and we must proclaim it!  And what a better time to do it than to over take an evil pagan holiday!

God Bless and Merry Christmas!