R. C. Sproul: Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?
That question comes up every year at Christmastime. In the first place, there’s no direct biblical commandment to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. There’s nothing in the Bible that would even indicate that Jesus was born on December 25. In fact, there’s much in the New Testament narratives that would indicate that it didn’t occur during that time of year. It just so happens that on the twenty-fifth of December in the Roman Empire there was a pagan holiday that was linked to mystery religions; the pagans celebrated their festival on December 25. The Christians didn’t want to participate in that, and so they said, “While everybody else is celebrating this pagan thing, we’re going to have our own celebration. We’re going to celebrate the thing that’s most important in our lives, the incarnation of God, the birth of Jesus Christ. So this is going to be a time of joyous festivities, of celebration and worship of our God and King.” Keep reading
Thomas J. Talley in The Origins of the Liturgical Year offers a different theory as to why the Christian Church adopted December 25 as the day to celebrate Jesus' birth. In calculating the date of Jesus' birth from the date of his crucifixion, the Church concluded that he was born on December 25.Karl Vaters: What a Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christmas
"Keep Christ in Christmas" is a familiar saying this time of the year. But you don’t expect to hear it from the local rabbi.
For several years I was involved in our town’s Police Chaplaincy. One year, at our December meeting, the Methodist pastor noticed that the napkins had a picture of Santa Claus on them. He slid one across the table to the rabbi from the local synagogue.
“Hey Steve,” he asked, “what do Jews think about Santa Claus?”
“Nothing,” the rabbi responded as he picked up the napkin. “Santa is a Christmas character.”
“But he’s a secular figure,” countered the Methodist. “Don’t you even let the kids get presents from Santa so they won’t feel left out?”
“No,” he responded. “We don’t worry about that. In fact I think you Christians ought to keep Christ in Christmas.”
Until this point, my interest in the conversation had been minimal, but when a rabbi tells me to keep Christ in Christmas, he has my full attention. Keep reading
Ryan Kearns: 5 ways to love your neighbor during Christmas
Recently my family and I moved. With moving comes all the obligatory tasks of packing boxes, finding moving trucks, and bribing friends to help you with copious amounts of pizza.
What else comes with moving? A new set of neighbors. People who God knew I was going to live by and who I have been called to know and love.
We can often get lost in the question, Who is my neighbor? Our lives are filled with different places where we connect and relate to other people. These are the places where we shop, work, and live. Jesus taught us that no matter if it’s at work, the gym, the play area at the mall, or right next door, a person in need is your neighbor (Luke 10:25–37). Keep reading
Trillia Newbell: You Can Be Hospitable Even with Little
I love to host people in my home—the more the merrier! The idea of one day owning a bed-and-breakfast and preparing a meal for strangers who have traveled far and wide, preparing all the Southern fixin's you can imagine (eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits, gravy), makes this Tennessee girl jump for joy. Hospitality is a joy for me—not a burden. But a recent move has left me with far less space to host. It's easy to excuse our inhospitable attitudes due to inadequate space or messy homes. Yet during this move I've been reminded that hospitality is a matter of the heart, not square footage or neatness. Keep reading
Bruce Grubbs: How to Plan a Christmas Communion Service
We are planning a simple Christmas communion service on Christmas Eve Eve (the night before Christmas Eve). It's basically a Christmas service featuring traditional Christmas music, reflections on the birth and life of Christ, and the observance of communion. It will consist of selected scripture readings, Christmas carols, and communion using the following outline:
- The Christmas story: How Jesus came into our world.
- The Christ story: Why Jesus came into our world.
- The Communion: Celebrating Jesus in our lives.
- The Commission: Carrying Jesus into our world.
The following is the outline that the pastors, worship leaders, and the sound, video, & lights director will use. We do not plan to hand out any bulletin or printed order of worship. Keep reading
Also read
Ten Creative Ways to Celebrate the Lord's Supper
While written from a Baptist perspective, these two articles contains ideas that may be useful to churches in other traditions.Susie Turner: 'O Holy Night' is nation's favourite carol
The French and the Brits may love to make digs at each other but all that is most readily laid aside when it comes to a good tune, as the French-penned 'O Holy Night' remains a firm favourite nearly two centuries after it was written.
The Christmas carol, written by the mayor of a small French town near Avignon in 1847, has not lost any of its popularity after topping a poll of favourite Christmas carols.
O Holy Night came out on top in the poll carried out by Premier Christian Radio, with 15% of the vote. Keep reading
What are the most popular Christmas carols in your community and region?John Piper: Rethinking Santa [Podcast]
With Christmas quickly approaching, several Ask Pastor John podcast listeners filled the mailbag with Santa-related questions. Corbin, a listener from Gainesville, Georgia, asked: “Pastor John, should parents allow their children to believe Santa Claus is bringing them gifts on Christmas?” Keep reading
C Michael Patton: Should Christians Play Santa?
Some people will argue that playing Santa has many negative effects. I would like to respond to some of these objections... Keep reading
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