Why Celebrate Christmas?

Why do we celebrate Christmas? Seriously, what is the reason behind it. Its not something the Lord ordained for us to celebrate, its not a command, it was not celebrated in the first century. In fact if you look at church history it wasn't celebrated until the fourth century and it was celebrated on the the 25th of December because of the existing pagan holiday. And over the years it has become commericalized and scandalized. The true meaning behind it lost and forgotten, swept away with the excess wrapping paper and bows and pine needles fallen from the brightly light trees.

And far to often we stop our celebration at the nativity scene. We celebrate Christ's birth yes, but do why do we celebrate? Becuase this baby was born to die for us...for you, for me. This cute, cuddly, plump, cooing, drooling baby was born with a death sentence because of my sin nature. Had he not died thirty years later we would have no reason to celebrate, he would've just been another baby. Think about it we don't celebrate Martin Luther King Jr just because he was born, no we celebrate because of the life he lived. We celebrate our presidents for what they've done, not simply because they were born. Likewise, we celebrate Christ's birthday becasue of what he did.

I'm not knocking Christmas, please hear that. I love Christmas, I consider myself to be a Christmas dork of sorts (I wear reindeer antlers at work on Fridays) and I enjoy the fact that all over the world the birth of our savior is being celebrated by all, sure some don't quite get it but they're celebrating him.

I am saying that as I've gotten older Christmas has changed for me. I can no longer look at it as just a time for family and presents and another excuse for stuffing, there is something far deeper. And deeper too than just a baby. It is the life that baby would live and then the death he would suffer...all for me. This, for me, puts Christmas in a whole new light, the way I celebrate this year will be different, my heart will be different. In my heart right now I consider that without Easter there would be no Christmas and without Christmas there would be no Easter...John 3:16 takes on a new shape in this light...

Check out the Relient K song, "i celebrate the day" which sparked these ponderings...