Christmas Traditions
By: Crystal Sewell
One of the most important Christmas traditions that Malachi and I have is teaching our children about Christ. His miraculous birth, His sinless and pure life, His painful crucifixion, His Magnificent Resurrection and His Glorious Return! We have a passion for loving and serving Christ and we hope and pray that our children will grow up to be whole heartedly and passionately in love with the Savior of the world.
I had struggled with the idea of having a “Christmas Tree” in our home. My problem with the “Christmas Tree” has been that in our society today it represents the place where Santa Claus places his gifts for sleeping children. I am totally and 100% against incorporating Santa Claus (a fiction character) into a day that is specifically reserved for the celebration of Christ’s birth. I do realize that in history there was a man named “St. Nicolas, but he was nothing like the popular over commercialized Santa Claus that we see in the shopping malls. St. Nicolas would throw money into the houses of poor families so that they would not have to sell their daughters into prostitution to make ends meet. I have a feeling he would be pretty appalled at how he is represented today. I am sure it is not how he thought his legacy would be remembered. So for me, the “Christmas Tree” represents the 1940’s overweight old man in a red suit that Coca Cola invented to help their sales increase during Christmas time.
However, my husband has taught me that to him the Christmas tree always represented the tree that Jesus Christ hung on as punishment for our sins. This meaning of the Christmas tree sits well with me. It is a way to continue the emphasis on Jesus Christ at Christmas time. So, last year we had a small fake Christmas tree that we put up and I made paper ornaments with all the scriptures of prophecy of the Savior’s arrival on them. We now call it our “Jesus Tree”. I put it up a few days ago and we plan to make more homemade ornaments that we will no doubt make them to represent Christ.
I pray that as Christmas approaches you will find more and more ways to make this holiday ALL about Jesus Christ. He should never share the spot light with anyone else, as He has earned His right to be NUMBER ONE in our lives!
I published this article in my last edition of the “Serving God and Family Newsletter”. The recognized day of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is only a few days away and while I make each Christmas time all about Christ, some Christians still feel it appropriate or even logical to incorporate the fictional character of Santa Claus into this Holy holiday as well. I am not one to sugar coat the Truth and so I will not “tickle” anyone’s ears on this subject either. Incorporating a fictional character that has been given divine attributes is wrong! There is no getting around it and I refuse to stroke anyone’s feelings or egos by making this an issue of “Christian Liberty”.
Why would any Christian argue from “Christian Liberty” that they can lie to their children about a fictional character who brings gifts to them in the middle of the night on Christmas? In what world is lying to our children in ANY way pleasing to God?
Children learn to trust the Lord by watching their parents trust, honor and obey God’s word. To a child, Jesus and Santa are on equal terms. Santa brings gifts, something tangible, yet we ask our children to have faith in Jesus, who to a child is invisible and offers nothing tangible. They don’t understand the concept of sin fully, so of course Santa looks like the best logical choice to focus on at Christmas time. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can incorporate both Jesus and Santa and a child understand the difference. Unless of course you tell them the truth about Santa being fake and that it’s all a rouse to deceive them about who is really blessing them with gifts! If this is what you intend to do, then why incorporate Santa at all?
What is it about not having Santa Claus as part of the Christmas celebration that really gets to people, even Christians? I believe it is the feeling of entitlement and the perpetuation of a tradition that makes absolutely no sense, but we perpetuate it all the same. Do we honestly think Christmas can’t stand alone on the celebration of Christ’s birth? What does Santa bring to the table that even remotely compares to the gift we were given in Jesus Christ?
Our God is a jealous God, and He makes that very apparent in His word. So, please, tell me again why we would allow Santa to share in ANY day that is specifically reserved for Jesus Christ? (Which by the way should be every day!)
Anyone can look around at all the advertisements during Christmas time and see that we do not put Christ as the center of Christmas. Santa Claus is everywhere! It is sickening to me that even Christians will allow the idea of Santa into their own homes. Why even go there? Do we think that our children will not one day come to know the truth about Santa? And what then? How will explain to them you are not lying about who Jesus is?
Christmas isn’t a “Christian holiday”, it is a holiday to honor Christ (or at least it WAS a in honor of Christ). It is a Christian tradition, not a mandatory event. If a Christian wants to celebrate it, do so in a manner that actually honors Christ as the subject and not some mythical fairy tale that may confuse children or frustrate their trust in their parents.
Last year I wrote a pretty extensive blog on this topic, and hope that you will all go over and read it here. I pull no punches in it either. It offended many people, and sadly, but not shockingly mostly those who call themselves Christians. I am not sure why Christians would be offended when Santa is threatened. Does Christ Himself have to stand before you and tell you that if you are telling your children that Santa exists, you are LYING? If so, then you must not know Him very well, or His Holy Word. He makes it VERY plain that He refuses to share His glory with ANYONE else.
In my blog from last year I said (and still stand by):
“Our children rely on us to tell them the Truth and to teach them the Truth about God and about how they are to live. Not only do they deserve this we are commanded by God Most High to bring them up in HIS ways. For the entirety of my children's lives I must teach them about God and what He requires of them as His children.”
If this is a problem for some Christians in light of the lie of Santa, then I say that they have bigger issues than just lying about Santa, and need to check their spiritual pulse to make sure they are in the faith and which god they really serve.
Santa is given divine-like attributes that are just like those that Christ has:
· He's omniscent-he sees everything you do.
· He rewards you if you're good.
· He's omnipresent-at least, he can be everywhere in one night.
· He gives you good gifts.
· He's the most famous “old man in the sky” figure.
Now, we all know that there is NO Santa Claus, and we also know that NO ONE has these Divine attributes except God! So why would any Christian who seeks to serve, honor, bring glory to and please God LIE to their children about Santa Claus or even imagine incorporating such a LIE into a day that is meant to HONOR JESUS CHRIST!?
It absolutely makes NO sense, and there is NOTHING that any Christian can say or any scripture they can use to justify LYING to their children. This is NOT about Christian liberty, because even that argument does not allow one to LIE to anyone, let alone their own children.
Christians need to really rethink some of the “traditions” they feel entitled to perpetuate and ask themselves “Does this Honor, Please, or Bring Glory to My Jesus who BLED AND DIED FOR MY SINS?” Does lying to our children about Santa Claus bring honor, or glory to the God Almighty? The answer is very obvious…it DOES NOT!
I know this is going to offend and upset many Christians, but frankly, I hope that it does. Christians should be upset that other Christians would see no harm in lying to their children. We are supposed to hold each other accountable. I know there are Christians who are afraid to confront another Christian brothers or sisters when they are blatantly sinning, and that is truly sad and just allows the enemy to win. It also makes Christians ineffectual and it brings dishonor to God. We are to be living lives that reflect Jesus Christ, not lives that only reflect half of His character. The Truth of the scriptures applies to all people and are very much relevant in today’s modern world. Christians really need to stand up for Truth and quit compromising and saying it’s in the name of “peace”. What a bunch of hog wash! Jesus Christ “did not come to bring peace, but a sword!” (Matthew 10:34) He came to separate the true believer’s from those who only parade around with a mask on. He came to expose sin and make a way for us to overcome it through HIM, not perpetuate lies and call it “harmless fun”.
“Santa Claus is an insult to the true person of St. Nicolas. St. Nicolas would give money to families so that they wouldn't have to sell their children into prostitution. That speaks much more to Christians than Santa Clause riding this magical sled bringing presents in the middle of the night. You can read an article about the real St. Nicolas at Christianity Today.
As Christians today we cannot compromise, even in what seems small and trivial. The enemy has done a pretty good job at mocking our Lord and His commandments. We cannot continue to give away pieces of our faith and expect to raise a generation with a strong foundation in Biblical Truths and a love for Jesus Christ.” (Serving God and Family, 24 December 2007)
The prophecies of the Messiah’s birth, life and death are much more fascinating than some old fat man in a red suit, and MUCH more important and life changing!
Micah 5:2 prophesies of “where” the Messiah would be born.
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, {Too} little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."
Isaiah 7:14 prophesies of the Messiah being born of a virgin.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
The Messiah's lineage is prophesied in Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 49:10, 2 Samuel 7:12-16 and many other places.
Jeremiah 31:15 prophesies of a massacre of children at the time the Messiah was to be born.
“Thus says the LORD, "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation {and} bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.”
He would be taken to Egypt is prophesied in Hosea 11:1.
“When Israel {was} a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.”
Isaiah 40:3-5 and Malachi 3:1 prophesies that the Messiah will be preceded by a messenger of the Lord.
“A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see {it} together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.”
The Messiah would preform miracles: give sight to the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, make the lame walk and cause the dumb to speak. This is prophesied in Isaiah 35:5-7.
“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass {becomes} reeds and rushes.”
The Messiah would Preach the Good News is prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2a.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,”
The year of the Messiah's birth is prophesied in Daniel 9:25. Christ first presented Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
The Messiah would die a humiliating death is prophesied in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. These two prophesies are very profound and clear about who the author is speaking of when compared to Jesus' death in the New Testament. Psalm 22 was written about 1,000 years before the actual crucifixion of Christ and Isaiah 53 was written about 700 years before the crucifixion. At the time that Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 were written crucifixion had not even been invented as a type of punishment.
The Messiah would be resurrected from the dead is prophesied in Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 68:18.
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
“Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.”
Nothing and No One should ever share the spotlight with the Almighty God! For Christians to blatantly and ignorantly do so is sad and painfully indicative of the times we live in. Is this what the Apostles were martyred for? Did Christ die a brutally painful death so that we could perpetuate a secular man made tradition that takes the focus away from Him and places it on a fictional character? I think not! I will have NO part in celebrating or incorporating the lie of Santa Claus into a day that is to Honor My Jesus’ miraculous and wonderful birth which ultimately led to His crucifixion for MY transgressions. And He gave me this “gift” not because I was a good little girl, but because apart from Him I can do NO good!
I pray that on this Christmas Day you will throw out whatever does not honor God in your lives and make HIM the only focus. I pray that I will continue to remember that ultimate sacrifice that my Jesus made on my behalf and be willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to bring Him Honor and Glory!
Serving GOD and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
3 comments:
I love how you never sugar coat anything, Crystal! Rock on! =)
On another note, JD is really scared of Santa. He wants nothing to do with him and that's fine by me!
Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can incorporate both Jesus and Santa and a child understand the difference. Unless of course you tell them the truth about Santa being fake and that it’s all a rouse to deceive them about who is really blessing them with gifts! If this is what you intend to do, then why incorporate Santa at all?
Well, first off it is clearly illogical to say that you can’t incorporate both Jesus and Santa into Christmas tradition, because we do it as adults just fine. So then the issue is, can a Child understand the difference between to things, one real, one fictional, and understand the difference? I would argue that they can. I have some Proof to that extent - http://merdougherty.blogspot.com/2008/12/tonight-quinn-and-i-were-talking.html
What does Santa bring to the table that even remotely compares to the gift we were given in Jesus Christ?
Nothing, however I believe that Santa can give us a picture of Jesus’ Characteristics, you yourself said that Jesus is to a child “invisible and offers nothing tangible.” Why not then use an illustration like Santa?
Our God is a jealous God, and He makes that very apparent in His word. So, please, tell me again why we would allow Santa to share in ANY day that is specifically reserved for Jesus Christ?
Where do we find anywhere that Christmas is Reserved for Jesus Christ? Do you Have a Bible Verse? Historically speaking Jesus was most likely born in the Spring, and moreover, the Early Church didn’t even Celebrate Christmas. In fact Christmas as first celebrated by the early church in the 350’s was all about Jesus’ Baptism… So lets be honest when we say that this day is “reserved” for Jesus any more then any other day. I think that this statement is really just a total non-sequitor based on false information.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can incorporate both Jesus and Santa and a child understand the difference. Unless of course you tell them the truth about Santa being fake and that it’s all a rouse to deceive them about who is really blessing them with gifts! If this is what you intend to do, then why incorporate Santa at all?
“Well, first off it is clearly illogical to say that you can’t incorporate both Jesus and Santa into Christmas tradition, because we do it as adults just fine. So then the issue is, can a Child understand the difference between to things, one real, one fictional, and understand the difference? I would argue that they can. I have some Proof to that extent - http://merdougherty.blogspot.com/2008/12/tonight-quinn-and-i-were-talking.html”
By “can’t” incorporate Jesus and Santa, I am not meaning you technically can’t do it. Technically you can mix anything together. What I am saying is in order to incorporate both Santa and Jesus into Christmas the realistic definition of Christ must be compromised. I say this because Christ by definition alone is exclusive in nature not inclusive, meaning He is set apart and elevated above all things He has no equal and thus to bring in an accompaniment of any sort and in any circumstance (whether it be in worship, prayer, or a tradition) is to detract from the realistic portrayal revealed about Him in scripture.
You have given a great example of how children can regurgitate desired information when requested by adults, not how a child understands the difference between two figures that are omniscient, invisible, and are said to exist. The only thing they know is what grownups say about their differences. One of the figures is what “Christmas is all about” because that is what they are told while the other is the agent or icon of Christmas that brings gifts and live s in the north pole because that is what they are told. They have equal status on a cognitive level, even if they are told that one is greater than the other to which they simply assign the “greater” status to one of them and “lesser” to the other. In reality though the most important one to them is the one that appeals the most to their flesh, (thanks to their fallen nature) so if they had to get rid of one of them and keep the other, guess which one they would most likely remove… the one that doesn’t bring them presents. The only way a child would find Jesus to be more valuable than Santa is for that child to have a true personal understanding of their own sin and the consequences of sin thus realizing the priceless gift of salvation in Christ, which is impossible because if a child did possess that knowledge they would no longer be a child. In short salvation is a theoretical gift to a child, whereas a present is a tangible gift. We all think our own children or nieces and nephews are the exception to the rule, but that is just wishful thinking and does not justify an attempt to mix the True Jesus in with a known lie.
What does Santa bring to the table that even remotely compares to the gift we were given in Jesus Christ?
“Nothing, however I believe that Santa can give us a picture of Jesus’ Characteristics, you yourself said that Jesus is to a child “invisible and offers nothing tangible.” Why not then use an illustration like Santa?”
Using analogies and illustrations to portray Jesus in a way a child may understand is a great way to introduce Who Jesus is to them. C.S. Lewis for example did this in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by using Aslan the lion as an analogy to Christ. The imagery was effective because like Jesus, Aslan was King who even though he had great power chose to sacrifice himself as a substitution on behalf of a guilty person in order to satisfy a law, then rose from the dead showing power over the grave. The parallels between Jesus and Aslan are quite obvious in Lewis’s book because they closely resemble the major events that Jesus experienced and accurately teach the reader about grace and unmerited favor displayed in Christ. Also Aslan is an obvious fictional character not set up as being an actual person that exists in reality. Santa on the other hand can in no way be used to provide “a picture of Jesus’s Characteristics”. Santa keeps a tally of the good and bad and rewards/punishes accordingly, this is the exact opposite of Jesus Christ who grants the gift of salvation in spite of our “badness”. There is no grace with Santa, he is a legalistic ogre who children must appease because doing good grants you presents rewarded by him, not because doing good is pleasing to God. Santa is simply another verison of the boogey man that parents use to keep their kids in line. It’s no wonder most people’s idea of God is of this jovial old man with a white beard who keeps a talley of good and bad then rewards them as long as the good list is longer than the bad,… I wonder where that got that idea?
Our God is a jealous God, and He makes that very apparent in His word. So, please, tell me again why we would allow Santa to share in ANY day that is specifically reserved for Jesus Christ?
“Where do we find anywhere that Christmas is Reserved for Jesus Christ? Do you Have a Bible Verse? Historically speaking Jesus was most likely born in the Spring, and moreover, the Early Church didn’t even Celebrate Christmas. In fact Christmas as first celebrated by the early church in the 350’s was all about Jesus’ Baptism… So lets be honest when we say that this day is “reserved” for Jesus any more then any other day. I think that this statement is really just a total non-sequitor based on false information.”
Again, Jesus is exclusive by His very nature which means anything set apart for Christ, whether it is a non-obligatory tradition like Christmas, or a religious act like worship and prayer, cannot include any other as the object or icon of said event. This is one of the very problems Protestants have with Catholicism and their incorporation of Mary and the Saints as “accessories”, “symbols”, or “conduits of faith”. It detracts, removes, and dilutes the attention from Jesus to things that are not worthy of sharing His glory. In other words to incorporate Jesus with some other thing in any way and in any circumstance is to remove Him entirely out of the picture. So either you can observe Christmas as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth, or you can observe it as a day Santa brings gifts to kids around the world (which is willfully lying to children)…but if you try to do anything else you are confusing the reality of Christ to children and in no way are benefiting them by mixing a lie with the truth in which case it would be better to do nothing at all.
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