Christ in Christmas

Lets put Christ back into Christmas, the bumper-sticker read.

But how is this to be done? Was Christ ever in Christmas? How did Christmas originate and progress? If Christmas is legitimate, what ought it mean to us today?

What is Christmass history? Its heartbeat? Its realization?

The History of Christmas

Christmas, as the day of commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, was a late innovation among Christian feast days for several reasons:

First, the date of Christs birth, not being stated in Scripture, cannot be pinpointed with certainty. Second, the Ancient Church highlighted the death and resurrection of Christ as the completing facts of redemption, and consequently made these events the focal points of Christendoms festival church year. Third, no corresponding Old Testament festival (as in the case of Easter and Pentecost) encouraged the celebration of Christs birth. Fourth, the earlier feast of Epiphany formed a substitute as it originally commemorated Christs revelation to various parties at his birth. (Only subsequent to the implementation of Christmas did Epiphany develop its more restricted, present-day usage in parts of Christendom as a January 6 commemoration of Christs manifestation to the Gentiles at the visit of the magi.)

Nevertheless, it was inevitable that the Christian churchs total indebtedness to Gods grace in Christ for salvations completing acts would soon generate appreciation for Gods great progressive acts in the history of redemption. Of these, Christs birth is certainly the greatest. What could be more astounding, miraculous, and wonderful than the Incarnation for Messiah-waiting sinners?

The Roman Emperor Constantine was first to order Christmas to be observed in the West in the 320s A.D. By 350 most of Western Christendom accepted December 25 as the date of Christs birth. Historys first known sermonic recording of Christmas as a church festival dates 360, and is attributed to bishop Liberius. Christmas was introduced on December 25 in the leading centers of Antioch and Alexandria approximately 380 and 430 respectively. Already on December 25, 386, in delivering the Christmas homily in Antioch, Chrysostom claimed the commemoration of Christs birth as the foundational, best, and root feast from which all other Christian festivals grow forth.

Since the fourth century, Christmas has been generally observed throughout Western Christendom. The Puritans form a notable exception. Refusing to practice any custom lacking direct Biblical mandate, they pushed a law through English Parliament in the 1640s forbidding the celebration of Christmas and requiring everyone to work on December 25. The law was revoked in 1660 when Puritan leadership was overthrown. In New England, however, the Puritan anti-Christmas influence was ongoing. Christmas did not become a legal holiday in Massachusetts until 1856.

In addition to the lack of Biblical mandate, Puritan opposition was based on three subordinate factors: first, a rejection of ecclesiastical authority in its attempt to establish official feast days in general, of which Christmas was one; second, an objection to the drinking, partying, and immorality associated with Christmas festivities in every age; third, the long-standing and continuous associations of Christmas with questionable Christian or pagan religious ideas and practices.

Examples of this last Puritan objection are numerous: Santa Claus was adapted from St. Nicolas, a bishop who died in Asia Minor in 341 and whom legend depicts as a miracle-worker and anonymous donor. The Christmas tree, a symbol of eternal life and protection from evil, was borrowed from the non-Christian druids in northeastern Europe. St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century mystic renowned for his preaching to animals, introduced the manger scene.

Unlike the majority of Christmass traditions, family gift-giving (when devoid of the Santa Claus concept), and the sharing of Christmas cards are of more recent date and do not appear to be associated with significant pagan notions. The exchange of best wishes by card first became popular in England in the 1840s, but didnt have much impact in North America until the beginning of this century.

Presently, the dramatization and commercialization of Christmas is obviously excessive. The bumper-sticker message strikes an authentic note. In fact, it may well assist us in grappling with how to handle Christmas. After all, is not Christ the essence of Christmas?

The Heartbeat of Christmas

Among our Reformation and Post-Reformation forebears, the Lutherans, continental Reformers and most other Protestants agreed with Puritan objections to the abuse of Christmas but not with their conclusion of disuse. Rather, they defended the observance of Christmas and worship on December 25 for two prime reasons: first, as a countermeasure to pagan festivities (much as Reformation Day worship intends to supplant Halloweens paganisms); second, and more importantly, to emphasize the deeper truth inherent in the doctrine of the Incarnation, namely, salvation by grace via the sent God-man Savior.

Their two-pronged goal is still relevant today: Christmass pagan festivities must be pushed into the background by bringing the heartbeat of Christmas to the foreground: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Lk. 2:14).

In the acorn of Christmas lies the oak of Gods full-orbed salvation.

Christmas is the commemoration of the worlds greatest miracle: the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas unveils an incredible mystery; it preaches unspeakable gospelgood news, glad tidings: the Messiah born of a woman! The Prince of glory, a Baby in a manger! The Almighty One, a little Child! The Infinite One, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh! The Son of God now the Son of Man! The Creator born of the creature; He who made the world and is above the world, came into the world! He whose dwelling is in the heavens, let down into the smoke of sin and hellishness on earth! He who thunders in the heaven, crying in a lowly manger! The Immortal Son, clothed with rags of mortality! The Eternal, a Child of time! He who made man after His image, Himself made in mans image! The invisible Cod, made visible in Bethlehem!

Christmas spells God taking our flesh, dwelling in it with His divine fulness, and opening through that flesh His gospel treasures of sovereign grace by being Savior, Redeemer, Kinsman, Elder Brother, and Shepherd, thereby paving the way for that flesh to become more glorious than angels.

All this for unworthy sinners!

Chrysostom was right: Christmas is the root feast, for it is not only the door to Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha, but also to the empty tomb, to Mount Olivet, to the right hand of the Father, yes, to everlasting bliss. In the acorn of Christmas, lies the oak of Gods full-orbed salvation.

Isnt that why our forefathers called Christmas the feast of the Father (just as they denominated Easter the feast of the Son, and Pentecost, that of the Holy Spirit)?

The bumper-sticker, you see, points us back in the right direction back to Christ, but it doesnt tell us everything. The birth of Christ leads Gods living church to the Giver and Sender: God the Father. Christmas was particularly the Fathers victory, for in Bethlehem the impossibilities of election and salvation were historically broken through. When Mary brought forth her firstborn son, God brought forth His everlasting salvationhis First-begotten, His Savior and Second Adam; and in His loins, the entire, elect Church.

Behind the sent Child lies the sending Father: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen (Lk. 2:20). Thanks be to Cod for His unspeakable Gift (2 Cor. 9:15).

The Realization of Christmas

The heartbeat of Christmas is the good news of salvation from the Father through the Son for waiting shepherds and lost sinners.

This essential heartbeat, to become mine and yours, must be applied. Our hearts must personally beat by, and reverberate with, this Christmas message.

But how is this possible? Well, the same Spirit that formed the body of Christ within Mary must form Christ spiritually within our hearts. Our forebears termed this as vital, spiritual union with Christ

The heartbeat of Christmas, shall it be realized, demands the saving operations of the Holy Spirit within us. By nature, we have no room for Jesus in the inn of our hearts (cf. Lk. 2:7). To all His knockings for entrance by means of gospel calls and admonitions, we post our NO VACANCY signs in defiance. Room for everything and everyone but Jesus!

The Holy Spirit changes our NO to FULL by convicting us of sin, actual and original, and leading us to need Jesus Christ as the only Deliverer. He makes room for both Gods promise and His Bethlehem Child by stripping all grounds of self-salvation away from us prayers, religion, piety, reformation, and repentance inclusive.

The Spirit teaches us that Jesus is needed on every front. For guilt, there is Christs reconciling blood. For the law, Christ is Law-fulfiller and Cursebearer. For conscience, Christ is both Victor and victory, for there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). For Gods attributes, righteousness and peace are met together in Him (Ps. 85:10). For punishment, Christs passive obedience is sufficient for the sins of a whole world. For death, hell, and grave, Christ has the keys in His hands (Rev. 1:18).

John Bunyan was right: all lions are chained. The Lion out of the tribe of Judah is the great lion-tamer. No enemy, true believer, shall devour you. Satan himself was chained on Christmas day. Christmas day was the ushering in of Gods millennium. In Christ, even the greatest of enemies, self and sin, shall no longer dominate or victimize.

In Christ, the Holy Spirit turns the advent heartbeat into a Christmas one. Christmas becomes a Christ-centered day. A spiritual feast-day, for He is the Bread of Life. He is the Lightthe Star of Jacob, the Sun of Righteousness. He is the Tree of Life whose leaves are given for the healing of the nations. He is the Christmas message sent from heaven, addressed personally: Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11). He is the unspeakable Gift.

The sending Father, the coming Son, the realizing Spiritwe wish you such a blessed Christmas. May you find your history, your heartbeat, your realization in God Triune repeatedlyalso on December 25, 1985: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen (2 Cor. 13:14).

May you find Christ in this festival season. And, finding Him, may you proclaim the good news near and far.

Rev. J.R. Beeke is pastor of the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

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