Understanding Christmas – In Context

Recent years have seen increasing attacks on Christianity, one of which has been an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. Many department stores and retailers have gone to stressing “Happy Holidays” in an attempt to not offend non-Christians. Apparently they are not concerned with offending Christians.

Christmas has long been both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Dec. 25 has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

It saddens me that our great country, which was founded on principles of freedom, among which is the freedom of religion granted expressly in the first amendment, which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Recent years have seen our country toward an interpretation more like “Freedom from religion”, than “Freedom of religion.” This has come about in part because they have mis-used Thomas Jefferson’s words from his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut in 1801. In that letter Jefferson used the phrase, “The US Constitution has created a wall of separation between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable.” In recent years this statement has been taken out of context to mean that religion should be removed from the public square. Yet the entire context of his letter to the Baptists was rather to assure them that the state would not impose a religion on them. And in referring to the Constitution he was referring to, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Keeping in mind that our founding fathers had fled a land with a single religion imposed upon them by their king. Thomas Jefferson’s letter was in response to a letter from the Baptists who were concerned that the state government was going to impose a religion on all in their state.

It should be no surprise to the Christian that these things take place. In 2 Peter, Chapter 3 Peter reminds us that the Prophets foretold these events and that, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.”

As Christians it is important to recognize that though Christ’s sacrifice was for all, not all will accept that sacrifice. Yet, for the Christian, this does not change the context of Christmas, which is the birth of Christ.

And so, the best kind of Christmas giving is Christmas living. We must not let our Christian living go out the door with the dried up Christmas tree or it is just as useless.