Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke 2:10
When God
shows His goodness, He loves to see us respond with joy. For example, when God brought the
Israelites back from captivity, He told them to hold a festival to commemorate the
rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8). And celebrate they did!
If God wanted the Israelites to rejoice because of His goodness, would He condemn us for a
festive spirit at Christmas? Was not the angel's message to the shepherds one of
"good tidings of great joy"? (Luke 2:10).
It's true that the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Jesus' birthday. We don't even know
the exact date, and much about the season has a pagan background. But that doesn't make it
wrong to celebrate if Christ is kept uppermost in our lives. We don't think of mistletoe,
holly, and evergreens as being pagan any more than we associate Sunday and Monday with the
worship of the sun and the moon gods after which these days are named. Just because
unbelievers abuse Christmastime doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the holiday.
Keep Christ central. Celebrate His birth. Sing carols. Gather for family fun. Even make
shopping an occasion for remembering God's goodness. When we love Jesus and put Him first,
He blesses our festivities.
-HVL
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
-Wesley
We can enjoy Christmas because we know the joy of Christ.