I
Love Christmas! 
Yes, it is
commercialized. Yes, the -mas refers to the Catholic mass. Yes, there are songs
about Santa Claus, Rudolf, and some kid's two front teeth. Yes, the pagans worshipped
the fir tree, and the druids had a thing about mistletoe and yule logs.
That is one of the
reasons I love Christmas: these are the remnants of paganism--remnants that
have no idolatrous meaning to us today.
No one I know worships
a Christmas tree, mistletoe or the yule log. We see so many Santa Clauses that
no kid is going to be confused for very long. It is true that the Greek letter tau
was a symbol for Tammuz, but a cross does not remind Christians of Tammuz, but
of the Savior who died. If there are devils around whose followers reverenced
Tammuz centuries ago, I am sure that these devils do not laugh up their
sleeves--if they have sleeves--at the simple Christian who sees in the Cross
the symbol of his redemption by the blood of Christ. Christ has triumphed over
all these things.
Faith delivers from
bondage.
Although symbols of
paganism are everywhere in our culture, yet we know that an ``idol is nothing
in the world'' (I Cor. 8:4). The days of the week are named after the Sun,
Moon, Tiu, Woden, Thor, Fria, and Saturn. The symbol Rx for a doctor's
prescription is ``R'' for ``take'' in Latin, and the symbol of Jupiter, or
Jove. The symbol means ``Take this medicine under the care of Jove, the patron
of medicine.'' But who does that now?
These are just a few
of the examples of why an ethical system based on pagan origins can be unprofitable.
There may be good and profitable reasons why Christians should not eat meat
offered to idols, but being contaminated by devils is not one of them.
Christians are not
having fellowship with devils because they have Christmas trees, Easter eggs,
go to church on Sun-day, eat food sold by unbelievers, or listen to music
composed by unbelievers. This thinking even leads some to reject the doctrines
of the Virgin Birth, Sunday Worship, and the Trinity because the corrupt church
of the Middle Ages confessed them.
There Are Far Deadlier Enemies
There are other
influences in our lives that are far more deadly than worn-out paganisms. There
is much hypocrisy among Christians that has nothing to do with Santa Claus.
There is much false doctrine, and dependence upon the flesh that is far more
deadly to Christian faith than any Christmas tree. We need to fear the gods of
secularism, pleasure, and humanism far more than the gods of a dead and
defeated paganism. I suspect that Satan does more harm getting Christians to condemn
other Christians for Christmas trees than the tree itself does. Strife,
discord, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and pride: these are the devil's best
works, and they affect those who decorate a tree as well as those who do not.
The Doctrine
Things are unclean
only if we esteem them unclean (Romans 14:14).
The light in the eyes of children in the Christian home when the
Christmas tree is trimmed, has nothing to do with paganism, but is part of the
joy of remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus. It is just family fun. But a
Christmas tree will not make the modern Christian into a pagan, nor a lack
thereof make a modern humanist a Christian. In spite of some foolishness,
Christmas is rooted in the work of the Savior, without which there is no
meaning to the holiday. This is the true tree of Christmas, even though some of
its modern ornaments are frivolous.
The magic of
imagination; the joy of family and friends; a special time to remember God's
Son who was given to take away sins: These can make the season a precious time
for those who love the Lord.
Luther had the right
idea. He thought that the devil should be
mocked, because Jesus Christ had thoroughly defeated him. I think it is good advice.
Mail:
Trinity
Covenant Church
6050 Del Paz
Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Phone: 719-590-1477
Email: budpow@prodigy.net
I Love Christmas
Pastor C. W. Powell
Trinity Covenant Church
Reformed Church in the U. S.
Colorado Springs, CO.
