It’s a few days before Christmas, right? Christmas has become a season for sin. In fact, the 10th commandment is violated several times over, in fact. It’s the time for that “good-old” Christmas shopping where people’s attitude tend to be at their worse. The cartoon above made by Answers in Genesis really talks about it. You can see how Christmas shopping or better yet XMas shopping.
That’s why I tend to say Christmas is better called XMas, Clausmas (because people tend to focus on Santa Claus while Nicholas of Myra has a separate feast day), or Giftmas. It’s because people are so focused on the gifts. For children, it’s almost always about the latest toy. For lovers, it tends to be about giving each other expensive presents. For the family, it’s all about getting the latest trend or be “left out” during Christmas. Yes, Christmas or better yet XMas is the most materialistic season of the year. People really have the wrong reasons to be excited about Christmas.
People are fuming and fuzzing over what they got. However, some people can’t even celebrate Christmas at all. That’s why I find the demand to be “happy” because it’s Christmas to be insensible. There are people starving on the streets. Some people may be sick and ailing on Christmas. Some people will due during December even during Christmas Day. Some natural disasters happen during the Christmas season. There’s no Christmas miracle where nothing wrong happens. Just Google “Christmas disasters” and you’ll discover it’s no happy-go-lucky time when nothing goes wrong. Christmas isn’t always merry especially when the world celebrates materialism over Jesus, the reason for every season!
I feel the problem in itself isn’t the Christmas season but the people celebrating it. The Puritans may have taken it too far when they decided to ban Christmas in their community. Meanwhile, we had Martin Luther who celebrated Christmas. John Calvin was more on the neutral side, while Huldyrich Zwingli hated it. Arthur W. Pink was pretty much a man who disliked Christmas. However, in Pink’s book, Practical Christianity, he pretty much respected Christians who celebrated Christmas and considered it as not a major issue in contrast to what’s obviously is sin.
I look back and think about how many Christmas presents I’ve had before that have become obsolete. A good example is that I may have gotten a broiler or an oven. A couple of years later they break down and they are thrown away. You may think about the gadgets you have given or received and how often they are later thrown out. Somebody may have gotten a digital camera a decade ago only for it to finally end its life. Desiring too much will eventually result in too much junk.
The message of Christmas should never be about presents and parties. Rather, it’s all about the gift of salvation because man is not basically good. While people desire to have the latest stuff during Christmas but the Son of God left Heaven to be born into the anonymous town of Bethlehem and to be called a Nazarene. Jesus’ birth was anything but glamorous as He came into human form to be born on a manger, A manger is something used to feed animals. John 1:46 even has Nathaniel getting skeptical about if anything can good come from Nazareth. So why even think about feeding your covetousness when Jesus left His throne so He can fulfill His Father’s will?
Reformed Baptist Christian Blogger 