Is Christmas in the Bible? Are we celebrating a Christian holiday?

 

The word “Christmas” is not found and the celebration is not found either; yet before you decide not to celebrate, let’s look a little farther.  Most of the resemblance I find in the Bible comes from festivals of the Old Testament and God’s first institution (marriage).

In Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology,  the entry  for Israel’s festivals describes them like this:

Israel's festivals were communal and commemorative as well as theological and typological. They were communal in that they drew the nation together for celebration and worship as they recalled the common origin and experience of the people. They were commemorative in that they kept alive the story of what God had done in the exodus and during the sojourn. They were theological in that the observance of the festivals presented the participants with lessons on the reality of (God) . . . They were typological in that they anticipated a greater fulfillment of the symbolism of the feasts.

We of course are still called to remember all that God has done and to honor him.  Each year the Israelites would celebrate their festivals and tell the stories of God’s deliverance and his laws.  No other event in history is as important as the Birth of Christ, God’s greatest gift.  By shining light on Jesus’ birth, we are also pointing out God’s great plan of salvation.  Christmas has so many symbols and reminders of Jesus, it is a great tool for Christians to use to witness to the lost world.  God has sent us to witness to a lost world, and to bring honor to his name, both of which should be accomplished in our Christmas celebrations.

God’s first ordained institution was marriage and the family.  Christmas has always been a family holiday, and a Christian family should be a strong family.  When our celebrations focus on our family, I believe God can be glorified. 

We cannot say that all of our modern Christmas celebrations are pleasing to God (such as the commercialism, envy, hustle & bustle, and the desire for more stuff; to mention a few.)  However there are plenty of great reasons to celebrate Jesus’ birth with your family, as long as we “remember the reason for the season.”