This past week, I watched an argument develop on an Internet forum. A bunch of "Christians" were debating whether we should celebrate Christmas. A rather outspoken group of people insisted that the celebration of Christmas was not appropriate since the origins of the holiday are pagan. Furthermore, they argued, that Jesus was probably not born in December.
While it is true that the celebration of Christmas is the result of the "Christianization" of a pagan holiday and while it is true that Jesus probably was not born in December, that does not negate the value of celebrating. Jesus came to earth to transform the secular into sacred. He came to redeem the culture, not to abolish it. The fact that a pagan holiday became the celebration of the greatest work of God ever is a picture of the very work of God.
Furthermore, the fact that God was willing to come to earth, that He was willing to give His all for the possibility of humanity being restored to Him, is worthy of great celebration. If we really understood the the awesomeness of God coming to be one of us, if we really grasped the significance of His actions, we would celebrate even more heartily.
So go ahead...enjoy yourself this Christmas season. God coming to us, reaching out to us, demands celebration. Enjoy the food; enjoy the drinks; enjoy the relationships. Jesus came so that we might have abundant life, extravagant life. We would have no hope if God had not reached out to us. But He did! It is appropriate that we celebrate.
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