Jesus

Did Christmas begin as a non-Christian holiday?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Before Christ’s birth was celebrated on December 25 the Romans and the Iranians celebrated their gods.  For the Romans it was the Day of the Invincible Sun.  The Iranians celebrated the birthday of the idol Mithras (also a Sun god).  Both celebrations were timed to follow the shortest day of the year.  This history, however, does not mean Christmas began as a pagan festival.

In fact, it began as a rival festival—a Godly alternative to the pagan revelry surrounding December 25.  Different congregations had observed Christ’s birth at different times.  Noting the parallels between the false gods Rome worshipped and the True Son of God, Church leaders choose December 25.  In doing so they weren’t seeking to baptize a pagan holiday but to start an alternative holiday.  And we can see they were right.  1668 years after the first ‘official’ Christmas the idols of Rome are forgotten, but the Son of God is still worshipped!

Was Jesus really born in 1 AD?

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While the calendar we use is based upon the birth of Christ, Christ was actually born a few years B.C.  A Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus began the practice of dividing the calendar into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord) in the sixth century.  His purpose was twofold.  He desired to allow for accurate dating of Easter and to move away from the Diocletian system, which honored an Emperor known for his cruelty to Christians.  As he devised this system, Dionysius wrote that the current year was 525 years after Christ’s incarnation, or A.D. 525. Nowhere does Dionysius explain this claim, he just states it as fact.  While Dionysius devised this system, it was 200 years later when Bede popularized the convention in his work Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

Modern scholarship questions Dionysius’ dating based upon our knowledge of events mentioned in the Gospels.  Both Luke and Matthew indicate that Jesus’ birth took place before King Herod’s death in 4 B.C.  From this information, we can safely date Jesus’ birth in or before 4 B.C.

More precision is impossible.  We simply do not have enough evidence, inside or outside of Scripture to place an exact year upon Christ’s birth.  Yet, we can confidently say that Christ was not actually born in year 1 A.D.

Perspective is Key

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Part of teaching people how to fly is teaching them how to land.  In fact, the landing may be the hardest part of taking a new student pilot and turning him into a private pilot.  The challenges of landing an airplane are many.  Precise airspeed control, a well-flown traffic pattern, glide slope, control coordination and communicating on the radio.  I know when I first learned to fly, I felt like I was doing 20 things at once during the first few landings. Continue reading →

Who was present at the first Nativity?

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The Gospels tell us that Mary and Joseph were present, and shepherds arrived soon after the birth.  These shepherds came to see the child whose birth the Angels proclaimed (Luke 2:8-15), and the Scriptures foretold (Matthew 1:22, 23).  When they arrived, the Shepherds Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.  From there they departed to tell others the good news!

Traditionally we also place the Magi in the stable soon after Christ’s birth.  However, they did not visit Christ in the manger.  As Matthew’s gospel attests, they visited Him in a house (not a stable), when he was a child (not a new born) (Matthew 2:1-12).  Likely they arrived in Bethlehem a few months after Christ’s birth.  Like the shepherds, these men recognized Jesus to be more than a baby; He is the promised Savior.  This Christmas we cannot return to the manger in Bethlehem, but we can accept Jesus for who is:  the Lord and Savior of mankind, the greatest gift ever given.

An Advent Story

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In 1983, a movie premiered that soon became a Christmas classic across America.  A Christmas Story tells the tale of Ralphie, a young boy who wants nothing more than a Red Ryder© b-b gun for Christmas.  The movie unfolds as Ralphie tries to convince his mother, a teacher and even Santa Claus that this is the ideal present for him.  At each turn Ralphie’s request is rejected, with the same admonishment, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”  Despite these set backs, Ralphie never gives up hope that Christmas morning will deliver him the object of his desire.

So it is on Christmas that Ralphie flies down the stairs, tossing aside wrapped presents left and right.  He digs into the pile of gifts looking for a box that might contain his coveted rifle.  After opening everything else, Ralphie finally discovers the long, rectangular box that contains the Red Ryder© rifle.

I don’t enjoy this movie because of the fine acting, cinematography or script.  What I enjoy most about it is the connection nearly every child has with Christmas.  Most of us, at some point, looked forward to Christmas with that same longing.  Many of us can remember a Christmas where we wanted one gift more than anything else, we can identify with Ralphie’s quest to receive that gift.  That expectation, the hope and the joy provide us with glimpses of Advent.

Advent is a time to remember the hope-filled expectation of the Messiah’s coming.  For generations the Israelites waited, longing for the Messiah.  They faced set backs—enslavement, oppression and defeat—yet they maintained their hope that one day Messiah would come.  When he came, he would usher in the time of a New Covenant, when all of God’s promises would be fulfilled.  He would save them from sin, condemnation and slavery.

While Christmas is not about trees, gifts and such, childlike anticipation and joy recall the anticipation and joy of Christ’s first Advent.  In a few weeks we will again celebrate the greatest gift ever given.  May you capture the anticipation and hope of Advent as you prepare for Christmas morning.

Christmas Island

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As I listen to this classic American Christmas song, I wondered if that’s just not about the best way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

In Matthew 11:28, 29, Jesus offers peace and rest to those who will follow Him.  Yet, when it comes to celebrating His birth, peace and rest are two qualities often missing from the celebration.  Between decorating, cooking, baking, parties, shopping, wrapping, worshipping and all the other Christmas Season must-do events, we often become haggard, tired and frustrated.  Some of us even breath a sigh of relief when Christmas is over, because the most-stressful time of the year is gone.

But, should it be this way?  Would Christ want us greeting His arrival with stress and busyness or with quiet contemplation or with restful peace?  I  believe that allowing Christmas to become stressful completely misses the point of who Christ is, and what He wants for us.

So let me invite you to evaluate the next two weeks and deep six anything that’s going to keep you from experiencing Christ’s rest this Christmas.

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

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Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem follows the promises made through the Prophets. In Micah 5:2 the Lord promised, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” That promised ruler, a baby with ancient origins, is Jesus.
Another important aspect of Bethlehem is Jesus’ lineage. According to Matthew, Jesus’ earthly father is a descendant of King David. The Lord promised David, “your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.” Because Bethlehem is David’s home, and because Christ is the promised King, who will rule forever, it is fitting He should be born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
In order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, Joseph and Mary needed to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The census ordered by Caesar required Joseph to travel to his ancestral home of Bethlehem. Through this census, the prophecy of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem was fulfilled.
Jesus’ birthplace connects Him with David, the greatest of Israel’s kings and fulfills the promise that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. Far from an accident or coincidence, God shows His hand in the birthplace of the Christ.

A Very Merry Christmas

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A benefit to parents living in Orlando is regular trips to Disney World.  So, after spending Thanksgiving in Orlando, my wife and I carted our three children off to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.  With much anticipation our brood nearly came undone as we crossed the Seven-Seas Lagoon on a Ferry bound for fun and frivolity.

My wife had planned this evening for months.  She was as tightly wound as any of the children, and her head overflowed with great expectations of wonderful family memories.  Then an interesting thing occurred.  To a person, we were disappointed.  The event completely failed to live up to our hopes and dreams.  As we left the park, some hours later, we left feeling like we’d been robbed.

What a wonderful illustration to prepare us for Christmas.

Each one of us longs for joy, peace, hope and satisfaction.  We desire to be filled up and completed, so that we long for nothing.  And we try to find those qualities in so many places.  Gifts, food, family, celebration and fond memories are just some ways we seek to satisfy our souls at Christmas.  Yet, in each case we are left wanting.  Every celebration ends, every gift wears out and even memories fade.  We are left still needing something that can satisfy, someone who can delivery joy, peace and hope.

At Christmas we celebrate the only One who can deliver.  In Christ all the promises of God are answered.  In Christ we are satisfied.  As I left Orlando, I made it my prayer that I would seek my satisfaction only in Christ, and that I might find it there.  This advent, may Christ be your satisfaction too.

The Gospel is the Answer to Race Relations

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America continues to search for the answer to racism. Though most don’t know it, the answer America searches for is the gospel.

Racism is both sin and the result of sin. Genesis 11 recounts the beginning of diversity. In verse 1 we read, “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” This tells us not only that everyone spoke the same language, but that they shared a common culture. Sadly, this unity was not to last. Through this shared language mankind devises a plan to build the Tower of Babel. To graciously slow the spread of sin, the Lord confuses their languages and drives them apart (Genesis 11:7,8). This linguistic and geographic separation gives birth to diversity.

But this is not the end of the story. God’s gospel includes a plan to reunite now divided peoples. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles received a remarkable gift. They were able to speak the gospel in the languages of all the people gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:4-6). This is God overcoming the confused languages of Genesis 11. It shows God desires to create one people out of the folks from every tribe, tongue and nation.

Hence the language of Revelation 7:9-10, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Here we have a multitude of people, comprised of people from every tribe and people, all singing together the same song, with a loud voice! Certainly this is the anti-Babel. Instead of one people being driven apart, they are brought together to form one people. Instead of one language becoming many, many languages become one.

This happens through the gospel. Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians teaches us the gospel is for everyone—Jew, Greek, Slave, Free, Male, Female, so on and so forth. When we come to Christ we all come the same way, and having come to Christ we are now united in a new kingdom, a new people. To borrow from Dr. King, in the kingdom of heaven no one is judged by the color of his skin.

What does this mean for us? It means that the Church holds the only, viable answer for the problems of prejudice and racism. The answer is disciplemaking ministry. As the church engages the world with the gospel and teaches the world to follow Christ completely, we build a community that is truly post-racial. In the end, the world should look at the church and see the kind of community for which they long.

Certainly this is no short-term answer. Lasting gospel transformation occurs over time as we first come to faith in Christ and then learn to live according to the gospel teaching. While it may not be a quick fix, the gospel is the only, real answer to the sin of racism.