Long time readers will know a few basic things about this blog’s stance towards Christmas. First, Christmas is not mandated in scripture and so isn’t a measure of your spirituality. Second, Christmas is essentially a cultural festival that we are free to enjoy but shouldn’t overtake in the church. Third, being as we are free to celebrate Christmas, you can actually enjoy Christmas if you want to do so.
With those things in mind, I thought I would share another Christmas reflection again today. This time, the case for why I think it is best for Christians to celebrate Christmas. Not allowing it to overtake in the church, not foisting it on everyone and certainly not making it a matter of biblical fidelity. Just why I believe it is better to celebrate Christmas than not.
I think it is important to be aware of what we are communicating to the local community. If our celebrations communicate something unhelpful in our context, I think there is a case for our not celebrating. But for the most part, I think our not celebrating communicate to the community – whether it is actually true or not – that we are less bothered about Jesus than the world around us. This is a particularly unfortunate message to send.
But there are some other reasons I think it is better to celebrate Christmas than not. You may disagree, which you are free to do. We must remember ultimately that Christmas isn’t in the Bible so there is no compulsion to celebrate. There may well be some good reasons that we choose not to get involved. You are free to do what you will. But I think there is a good case to be made for saying it is better to celebrate Christmas than to sit out altogether.