Q: Pastor Paul, I’ve been seeing a lot of debates and arguments about Christmas online. Is it okay for a Christian to celebrate Christmas? How do we even know if Jesus was born in December at all? I really enjoy the holiday, but I don’t want to celebrate it if I am dishonoring the Lord by doing so. – Annie

A: Thank you for your question, Annie. I must say that I am right there with you in enjoying Christmas and all that goes with the holiday. Our family and church family love to decorate, give gifts, sing Christmas carols, and to spend time together during this time of year. I especially like all the Christmas treats we buy or my wife makes during this season!

However, whether or not we participate in something, a holiday or any other event, should not be determined by what we like, but should be determined by the Bible. 

The first celebration of Christmas was by shepherds near Bethlehem on that first Christmas night. They were joined by the angels who pointed them to the infant Jesus. In Luke 2 we see the extent of their celebration; the angels sing praises to God for the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the shepherds came and saw Jesus and praised God for this miracle, they then went throughout the countryside telling others that they had seen the Messiah. At that time a star (which was prophesied of) begins to shine to announce the birth.

The next celebration of Christmas was by two elderly saints in Jerusalem, Simeon and Anna. Around 40 days after His birth, Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Temple to give a thanksgiving offering for His birth. Simeon and Anna had been waiting their entire lives for the Messiah to arrive and when they saw Jesus, they worshiped Him and praised God.

Another celebration of Christmas comes some months later when the Wise Men come to Bethlehem following what we now call the Christmas star. They find the young Christ child and family, and present Him with gifts showing their knowledge of His person and purpose. They worship Jesus and leave knowing they had seen the Messiah, the Saviour who would take away the sin of the world.

In each of these instances something should stand out to us. Whether it be angels, shepherds, saints, or the Wise Men, all of the groups worshiped Jesus as they celebrated His birth. Some brought gifts, but all of them glorified God for His gift, the gift of the Saviour.

It is true that we don’t know exactly what day Jesus was born on (there are a lot of opinions out there but they are just that, opinions) but we do know Jesus was born. We know about His birth just like we know that Jesus was alive, He was crucified, He was resurrected, and now He is sitting on the right hand of God the Father making intercession for us. In my view if God wanted us to know the exact date, He would have recorded it for us.

Having a set date that we pause to celebrate the birth of Christ not only makes sense, but it is also something that has been practiced since the very earliest of Christians. There is historical evidence that the earliest churches celebrated Christmas by meeting and worshiping the Lord together.

I agree with many people that Christmas is far too commercialized in our day and age. So many businesses see the holiday as nothing more than a way to sell more products that it is disheartening. A sizable portion of those who celebrate Christmas have no idea what or Who they are celebrating. 

Those truths shouldn’t take the Christian’s joy or cause us to cancel our Christmas celebrations, though. We should instead use Christmas as an opportunity to talk to people about the reason for celebrating: the birth of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In doing so we will be honoring the Lord by pointing others to Him.

Speaking of Christmas, I’d like to invite all of my readers to our church Christmas service. We will have special music by various groups and families in our church, plus some beloved Christmas songs and carols by the First Baptist Church Choir. We will conclude with a Bible message about Christmas. The service will be on Christmas day, Sunday, December 25 at 10:30 AM. Everyone is welcome and I am sure it will be a blessing to you. Our physical address is: First Baptist Church, 219 W Main St, Laurel, IN 47024.