by Pastor Patrick Cho

As the song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It seems like each year Christmas comes a little sooner, and for Christians, the secularization of the holiday can become a bit tedious. Everywhere you turn, there is red and green as far as the eye can see. Suddenly, anything you drink has a tinge of peppermint. Though the Christmas trees, lawn ornaments, and house lights can be fun and festive, they do seem to detract from the central theme: that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

It is worth noting that believers are never commanded to celebrate Jesus’ birth. The Bible doesn’t require that Christians observe any religious holidays. In fact, the Bible explicitly makes clear that Christians are not bound by holidays and festivals at all! So why do we put up the decorations? Why do we sing the carols? Why do we gather together as family and exchange gifts? The holiday certainly provides families and friends a wonderful occasion to come together in love. While children may or may not understand the intention, Christmas promotes hospitality and sharing. (There’s also the opportunity to stuff yourself with a lot of good food!)

But the chief reason remains that the holiday reminds us to be thankful for the advent of our Lord. Christmas is the season for joy – a holiday where we can celebrate not only that Jesus came, but especially what He came to accomplish. In this sense, Christmas and Easter really go hand in hand. We celebrate that God in His amazing grace provided a way of salvation through His Son. Jesus was born in flesh, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again that we might be forgiven and redeemed!

I would be remiss not to mention that these holidays also afford us wonderful opportunities to share Christ with others. There are some who would never think about coming to church, but who would consider attending during Christmas and Easter. Many unbelievers who know the general reason Christians celebrate this holiday may honestly not know everything there is to know about it. It gives us a chance to ask people, “Can I share with you why it’s so meaningful to me?” So whether or not you love pulling out holiday decorations and singing songs of Christmas, there is still a world full of people who need to hear the message. Let’s all consider how we can faithfully proclaim the gospel of our Lord this season.