It is not uncommon to hear Christians bemoaning the secularisation and the commercialisation of Christmas. We’ve probably ourselves agreed with people saying, “Put Christ back into Christmas” and reminded people that Jesus is the reason for the season.
At one level we have Christmases that are dominated by red-nosed reindeer, jolly Santas, snowy scenes and songs about mistletoe. We have often voiced our disapproval of the focus on presents and food and alcohol. We all know that those things have nothing to do with Christmas.
But there is another level. On that level we talk about goodwill, “the Christmas spirit”, peace on earth. Relationships are central. We make contact with people we don’t see the rest of the year. We wish strangers a merry Christmas. Going to church is traditional. We make an effort to express our love through gifts and cards. We are conscious of broken relationships and of those who have died. There is something about Christmas that makes us yearn for those relationships that have been disrupted. There is something about Christmas that brings out the best in people. Christmas seems to have associated with it a lot of values that we intuitively “feel” at Christmas time.
Some of the phrases that we link with Christmas come from the Bible. The angels who visited the shepherds proclaimed peace on earth and goodwill to all men. Relationships are certainly important in the Bible. There is much there about love and reconciliation and generosity. Those are all good, biblical concepts.
But I have a little disquiet. They are just concepts and we still haven’t mentioned Jesus.
At Christmas, we can preach love and talk about peace and encourage “the Christmas spirit” (whatever that is) and they are good things. But we can do that without mentioning Jesus.
I could encourage you to be more loving or to forgive others and be reconciled. I could say that Christmas is about love and reconciliation; go and be more loving. I could say that Christmas is about peace and goodwill. And I could do that without mentioning Jesus.
Would that matter? Because these concepts are Christian concepts, are they not? This is in line with Jesus’ teaching.
I think it would matter. I actually don’t think Christmas is about peace or goodwill. I think it is about Jesus. I think the peace and joy and reconciliation come as a result of experiencing Jesus. It is not simply about us trying harder. It is about us discovering Jesus in a deeper way and hence finding peace and joy and reconciliation.
In other words, I think we have to drill down through the layer that is all about presents and getting drunk, but we have to also drill down through the layer that is about peace and joy. We have to drill down far enough to find Jesus. Then we find the peace and joy as well and we discover the reason for giving gifts and celebrating with family together and worshipping with others.
A fortnight ago we read the prophecy from Isaiah 9 especially the section that began, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” Isaiah said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” He talked about growth and joy and rejoicing, freedom from oppression and peace. He signalled a new beginning but he had a reason for proclaiming this new beginning. What was his reason?
“For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given.”
His message wasn’t an exhortation to peace as if we could create this peace by ourselves. It was an announcement of Jesus; the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the One who would usher in this age of peace.
Isaiah spoke in terms of this child reigning forever on the throne of His father David; reigning with justice and righteousness. He talked in terms of a new King and a new kingdom. With the birth of this child, that Kingdom was begun. That would be when the light would pierce the darkness; when there would be rejoicing and so on. Without the new king, there would be no change; people would continue to walk in darkness. He foresaw the new dawn of joy and freedom because God gave this child.
Likewise, the angels who appeared to the shepherds when Jesus was born, talked about good news of great joy for all people. That sang of peace on earth. But, again, what was the basis for their confidence? Was it going to be a sudden improvement in human nature? Were people suddenly going to pull their socks up? What was the basis?
READ Luke 2:1-14
The basis: “Today, in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
As with Isaiah, the proclamation of joy and peace was possible only because of the baby. Their message was of a Messiah. The central message was Jesus. Peace and joy and reconciliation are secondary. They are the results of knowing Jesus.
The Christmas message is Jesus.
I actually find that a challenge. Let me put it in a very simplistic way. If I wish someone a merry Christmas, what good have I done? It is a nice thought. It expresses my good wishes for that person but it doesn’t actually help them have a merry Christmas.
If I say, “Have a good day” it is a nice thought but it might only make them more aware that they are not having a nice day. That is because a merry Christmas or a good day are the result we hope for but I have said nothing about the cause that might make Christmas merry or a day good. I am expecting the results without the means. I have dug down to the level of meaningful concepts (perhaps even biblical concepts) but not dug down as far as the One who can make it possible.
Some people would say that a lot of modern preaching exhorts people to do good things but focuses too little on proclaiming Jesus. We talk about the Christian lifestyle but not the Christ.
I imagine that many public statements will be made by Christian leaders this Christmas that will talk about issues of justice and peace but may not mention Jesus whose Kingdom will be established and upheld with justice and peace.
We are embarrassed about Jesus. We will talk about the Christian lifestyle but not about the need for the Saviour. It should be patently obvious that, despite the good intentions of many, many people the world has not achieved peace. Only Jesus can bring peace to the lives of nations and families of this world. It is useless for us to preach about moral reform and living better lives without preaching Jesus.
The apostle Paul said that he decided to preach nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If we look at the context of that statement, in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, notice how he talks about Jesus being the power. The power is not in ideas or challenges. The power is in the person Jesus.
READ 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, 30-2:5
Paul rejected philosophical wisdom (even though that was what the Greeks loved). He rejected eloquence and high-sounding words, for the sake of a message that seemed like foolishness – a message of a crucified Messiah. But, actually, that message had power. The power of the message of Jesus had saved the Corinthians themselves.
There wouldn’t seem to be much power in a message about an obscure Jew who was executed on a cross but that is the only message that can change the world.
There is a lot of emphasis in churches today on meeting needs in the community, which is absolutely a good thing. It is a way of being relevant and of showing something of the love of God. It is a way of meeting people and serving them and hopefully breaking down some perceptions about the church. It is a way of helping people to feel more warmly disposed towards the church and its message. It hopefully leads to opportunities to share that message.
But there is a temptation to serve without mentioning Jesus. There is a hope that the serving in and of itself is sufficient. I have heard church leaders asking, “We have got involved in all of these ministries in the community but we are now not sure we are doing anything more than social work. What makes it distinctively Christian?”
Around the country, churches have found Mainly Music to be very effective. Groups are bursting at the seams and have waiting lists, but it is common for churches to say, “But we haven’t seen any come to faith. We haven’t seen any come into the church.”
There has to be a step beyond providing the programme and I think our Mainly Music team is very good at being intentional about building relationships that might then provide opportunities for sharing Jesus.
A couple of weeks ago I heard a speaker talking about churches being “missional” – being involved in mission in our communities. He asked the question, “How do we get beyond social work?” He said that in some quarters serving people is seen as the goal but it is not. Our goal, as Christians, is glorifying God. That puts a completely different spin on it. How can we glorify God through serving.
A "Christian" social agency might have so-called Christian values but if they cannot introduce someone to Jesus or they don’t provide Christian counselling as such or they wouldn’t explicitly provide biblical advice and help, they might do a tremendous amount of good work but can an they be called “Christian”?
Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” (Mark 9:41)
“In Jesus’ name” must at least mean that Jesus is acknowledged. It might mean that I do it as an ambassador of Jesus. Maybe it goes further and means that the cup of cold water is seen as coming from Christ and I am only the delivery boy. Whatever it means, it means that Jesus is explicitly part of it.
We talk about putting Christ back into Christmas but we need to ensure that we keep Christ in Christian. It is not “Christian” unless it includes Christ. It is not Christian if it just deals with concepts or principles. It must include the person.
What would make this a Christian Christmas for us?
1. Spending time with Jesus
2. Obeying Jesus
3. Telling others about Jesus
Let’s consider how we personally can put Christ back into Christmas.
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