10 Reasons Why, As A Christian Pastor, I Love Christmas

There is quite a bit of hullabaloo among Christians out there about whether or not Christians should be celebrating Christmas. Really!! What could be wrong with celebrating the day in which the God-Man Jesus Christ entered into our world to redeem mankind from the ravages of sin and Satan? Are these the same ones who are irate over a coffee cup sans a tree, Santa or snowflake? I wonder...




Generally speaking, there are 5 reasons why these ill-tempered folk refuse to rejoice on the second happiest day in history. (The first being Easter of course where our Lord Jesus triumphed over death and the Devil and sealed the deal for our freedom by rising from the dead!) These reasons being: 

• December 25th is not the real day of His birth
• Having a Christmas tree is idol worship
• The Catholic Church just syncretized Christianity with the pagan festival of Saturnalia
• There is no evidence in the Bible or the Early Church that they celebrated the Birth of Jesus
• It has become just a materialistic excuse to commercialize Jesus and indulge in greed

To these I answer this way due to a lack of time or desire to argue: irrelevant, not true and out of context, not true, irrelevant, and doesn't have to be.

So, here are 10 reasons why, as a Christian Pastor,  I love Christmas.
I love Christmas because:

1. The angel commanded us to celebrate this great, joyful news.
2. It celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Whether we as a culture get all the facts right or not; that is what Christmas is all about.
3. We took back ground from the devil. A day that was used to celebrate darkness (i.e. the winter solstice celebration) now is used to celebrate Light coming into our world. Who's day was it first anyway? The devil is not the originator of anything, he only steals and distorts what God created to be good in the first place. That would be the same as agreeing with certain denominations who refuse to have drums play in worship because they are used in demonic voodoo rituals in Africa...or they don't allow electric guitars because they are used to play rock and roll music that glorifies sin and satan.
4. Regardless of your acknowledgment of Christ on this day or not, people focus on family, sharing, giving and loving each other - and that is ALWAYS a good thing and a win for the Kingdom of God. It brings people together and gives people a reason to unite and not divide. 
5. People hear the Gospel. Everyone memorizes, listens to and loves Christmas carols and consciously or subconsciously, they are hearing the Gospel. Even the name Christmas  means Christ is sent.                           
6. Unknowingly our culture pays for the advertising and promotion of the Gospel. Department stores play Christmas music, put out Nativity scenes in their storefronts and even promote "Peace on earth and goodwill to men." A direct quote from the mouth of the Angel Gabriel himself!
7. For one whole month out of the year, people are a little more open to and a little less resistant to Jesus and His mission on earth.
8. It reminds us that we are indeed a Christian nation. Christmas is a distinctly Christian holiday and amid all the politically correct banter in our nation today, there are very few Christian traditions left. Let's not let the revisionists re-write our history. We who hold to the truths of the Bible should celebrate those traditions that are distinctly Christian and remind people what they are truly about. It doesn't further the Gospel to boycott a holiday that was initiated to honor the Incarnation, if we continue to do so that Santa and his eight reindeer will be all that the world knows of Christmas instead of the celebration of our Saviors first advent. 
9. God always reserves a place for Himself in every culture. No matter how far we fall from our original foundations as a nation, there are certain things in our culture - every culture - that God reserves as a foothold for himself and the Gospel. For more on this phenomenon, read "Peace Child" by Don Richardson. Christmas is one of those foundational moorings. You don't need research ver to discover what Christmas is truly about even if our culture distorts it. 
10. I love Christmas because it showcases to all the world the love God has for all people. As the Apostle John said, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son...  

As we gather with family and friends over Christmas, we are able to share our love and appreciation for each other in some very meaningful ways. In our frantically busy culture, we have as a nation set aside a time when we can celebrate love, family, sharing and remembering what is important. These are important values and traditions.  Let's remember that Jesus IS the reason for the season and celebrate it as such. 

As Christians we have the unique opportunity to not just observe a national holiday but to give thanks to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ for loving us enough to "lay aside his mighty power and glory" (Philippians 2:7), become one of us, and bring us into relationship with the Father. We are able to experience a depth and joy at Christmas time that many others don't. As the angel said; "Good tidings of great joy that is for all people..." Rather than getting bent out of shape by all the misrepresentation, use it as an opportunity to share the reality of the celebration and the truth of God's message of love for His prodigal sons and daughters. Merry Christmas!

"Don't be afraid!" the angel said. "I bring you good news of great joy for all people everywhere! The Savior - yes, the Messiah, The Lord - has been born tonight in the Bethlehem, the city of David!"    Luke 2:10,11 

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