Dr. Ron Sumners
December 22, 2002
Wednesday we will celebrate Christmas Day! When the Puritans ruled in America, they strongly disapproved of setting aside any special day, except Sunday, "The Lord 's Day."
So, in the year 1652, they passed an act to cancel Christmas. To show that they meant it, they decided that Parliament would convene on Christmas Day just as on any other day of the year and everything related to Christmas was banned - from mincemeat pies to church attendance.
A writer named John Evelyn, together with his wife and some others, defied the ban and went to church on Christmas Day. He recorded what happened: As they were receiving communion, a party of Musketeers broke in. They waited until the service was over, and then arrested the worshippers. However, they soon were released because the authorities were unsure of how to punish people for going to church!
No one is likely to try canceling Christmas again, but for many, perhaps, the Real Christmas already is cancelled. Perhaps the true cause for celebration already has been forgotten!
Rejoice and be merry in songs and in mirth! 0 praise our Redeemer, all mortals on earth! For this is the birthday of Jesus our King, Who brought us salvation - His praises we'll sing.
Cancellation or renewal - which will it be? Will we have Christ at the center or Visa/Master card?
Many people, over the years, have rallied against the commercialization and secularization of Christmas. As far back as the year 1827, an American Episcopal Bishop complained in these words: "The devil has stolen Christmas, the day of our spiritual redemption, and converted it into a day of worldly festivity." More recently, a book called "God in Unexpected Places" contained this protest:
Christmas is coming - the birthday of Christ the King. I know it because all the signs are in the air. For weeks, I've been hearing the TV ad people telling me to do my Christmas buying now and avoid all the confusion of the last minute rush. Christ, our King, is this why You were born?
Christmas is coming - the birthday of Christ the King! I know it is because all the signs are in the air. I was in the department store and the Herald Angels were "harking" over the speakers, "glory to the newborn King." And then immediately after, I was instructed to watch out, not cry, and not pout because a fellow in a red suit and bushy beard is coming to town. Christ, our King, is this why you were born?
A famous lecturer and author has written a book in which he advises the complainers and protesters to cease and desist and cultivate a positive, childlike attitude toward all the Christmas hoopla. In this way we can create our own healthy environment in which to celebrate the meaning of Christmas as a time of joy, peace and love. "Share in the fun," he says. We should refuse to let the gross commercialization and behavior of others give us the "Christmas Blues." I get almost as annoyed with the "Bah Humbuggers" who complain about the devil stealing Christmas as I do the commercialization itself. Who says we can't keep Christmas in our' heart and lives, no matter what the climate of the secular world? Childlike attitudes concerning Christmas are usually positive while adult reactions tend to be negative. We often turn into Ebenezer Scrooge at Christmas, and do so in the name of the Christ child. We never really celebrate; we just condemn the world for its misdirected celebration.
The child says, "I can 't wait to see all of the lights and decorations every place. Aren't they pretty?"
The adult says, "They put those decorations up earlier every year, I can't believe they are doing it already."
The child says, "I don 't think Christmas will ever get here ... I just can't wait."
The adult says, "I don't think this season will ever end. It seems to get longer every year."
The child says, "I can't believe Christmas is over already. It seems like it just started."
The adult says, "Thank God it’s over! If it had lasted one more day, I would have had a nervous breakdown."
Are we to look forward, year-after-year, to the same complaints about over-commercialization and secularization of our Christmas Day? Are we to look forward to an annual Christmas nervous breakdown? Or should we adults develop the positive wonder and anticipation of a child? The King is coming! That fact has changed human history and this particular human heart.
Can I not rejoice and celebrate the coming of the King even if the secular world doesn't recognize the significance of \t. Is my observance of this wonderful season to be simply a denunciation of the culture? Will I be a negative or a positive voice for the King?
For example, instead of insisting that all those others out there "Put Christ back in Christmas," why not insist that we ourselves celebrate Christmas in a truly Christian context. In the midst of all the preparation and the decorating, and the Santa Clauses and the shopping, and the card mailings and the gift giving, why not try this refrain?
Christmas is coming - the birthday of Christ the King. I know it because the signs are in the air. I heard a group of children singing their hearts out: "Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright." And I said, "This is why you were born, Lord Jesus Christ, our King! You were born for them!" And, He may answer in a quite unexpected way: "Yes! This is why I was born! And . . . I was born for the materialistic TV ad person, the flustered department store clerk, the rude late shoppers and the white-bearded man in the red suit too. I was born for all those who celebrate my birth in inappropriate ways and even ungodly ways.
You were born to introduce them to Me. How else will they know what Christmas really means?"
The Word was made flesh and, He lived among us, and we saw His glory ... full of Grace and Truth. In Jesus Christ, our King, God became one of us to give us a power beyond our own power; to renew us; to overcome our spiritual and emotional fatigue; to win our freedom over bad habits; to move through the ongoing crisis of sickness and death triumphantly; to heal our broken relationship; to bring to fruition our dream of being effective, loving witnesses for Christ.
Think of all the brokenness in your life and mine, and in our world: estrangement, bitterness, misunderstanding, jealousy, and even deep hatred - between parents and children, between husbands and wives, between people of different nations, between the races, between the sexes, between the religions of the world! Even in Christ 's own household, the church, there are still deep divisions. How we need the reconciling, harmonizing, healing Christ Spirit to break down the walls and bring us together!
I once read the story of a lonely man who spent all his years looking for the secret of life through acquired knowledge. In his earliest years, love had looked into his eyes. But long ago love left him. Long ago others had ceased calling upon him for help as he passed by. And, the secret he sought to discover when he set out on his journey, was farther from him than when he started. He had gained knowledge, but without love there is neither wisdom nor life!
For all you "Bah humbuggers" out there, maybe what you need this Christmas is the heart of a child that can see and wonder and trust and love, even those who celebrate Christmas in the wrong way.
The Word was made flesh and lived among us, and we saw His glory. In the Lord Jesus Christ, God became one of us, to tell us that God loves us, and to tell us that our love for Him and our love for others are inseparable - love for even those who don 't do Christmas right!
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world; stronger than hate; stronger than evil; stronger than death, and the blessed life which began in Bethlehem is the image and brightness of the Eternal love? If you are willing to believe that, then you can celebrate Christmas! If you celebrate the coming of the Christ Child for a day, why not always?
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