True Meaning of Christmas

When most people think of Christmas, different things come to mind; gifts, Santa Claus, Trees, the Nativity, and/or Jesus Christ as a baby. As Christians, we have always been told that Luke 2 is the first Christmas; however, this did not take place in December. Most likely, this took place in late summer to early fall (August to early October). We know this is because in Luke 2 the shepherds were keeping watch over the sheep at night. Shepherds would only do this when the weather was warm enough and December the weather is too cold to do this.

If Christ was born in the late summer to early fall, why do we celebrate His birth in December? Most of the customs and traditions of Christmas actually pre-date the birth of Jesus, and many of them are downright deceptive in their meaning and origin. Here are a few examples:

The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. Mithra was related to the Semitic sun-god, Shamash, and his worship spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras. Rome was well-known for absorbing the pagan religions and rituals of its widespread empire. As such, Rome converted this pagan legacy to a celebration of the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice period. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and downright debauchery, as the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen tree branches in procession throughout the Roman temples. Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas.

The true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise. A quick study will reveal a number of disturbing roots that we haven't the time to talk about today. In short, the Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative of Christianity's willingness to absorb the world's customs and traditions, and forget its simple roots in the historical reality of Jesus Christ. Christmas should be nothing more than a simple, yet wonderful reminder of Christ's humble beginning as a human child in this world. His birth merely set the stage for the power, glory, and salvation that would be revealed in His life, death, and resurrection!

For me, Christmas is more about the spirit of what it represents; that God came down to our level and lived with us. I have a saying, “Jesus didn’t come to Earth for Christmas; Jesus came for Easter.” In other words, Jesus didn’t come to be born but to die for our sins.