Ep. 38 - Keeping Christ in Christmas
In this month's episode, we talk about Christmas. What happened to celebrating the birth of Jesus? How did Santa Claus become the face of this holiday? How do we keep this day centered around Christ? Tune in and find out!
Intro
Welcome to The Message Podcast with yours truly Angel, this month’s episode is titled, “Keeping Christ in Christmas.” We’re going to be talking about the importance of what Christmas is all about, how society has forgotten Jesus in all of this, and how to keep Jesus at the center of Christmas.
First off I hope that all is well with you and your family! It is December and this is the last podcast episode of the year 2023. I can’t believe it to be honest. I also can’t believe that in the seven years since The Message Podcast first started, I have never covered Christmas! Well folks that stops now.
I’m going to be honest, I am at the time of this episode, nowhere near done with my Christmas shopping. Juggling between different wishlists on Elfster including what I want, and trying to figure out what gift to get who can be mentally exhausting! I was at the mall a couple of weeks ago for Black Friday, and it was nightmare being in some stores. I was in Abercrombie & Fitch with my wife and moving around was almost unbearable. Didn’t help the fact that some of the discounts were an absolute joke in some stores but that’s for another time.
What I’m trying to say is, I can’t be the only one that once December 1 hits, feels like they’re on some sort of a deadline. I feel the pressure the closer I get to Christmas, to make sure I got all of my Christmas shopping done. The pressure to make sure I wrote a nice card, and wrapping my gifts up nice. I remember just a few years ago panicking on December 21st, going to almost every store in the mall to try and find something for my family. But what’s up with that? What’s up with being so, ‘pun intended” wrapped up in the gifts? I feel like sometimes we lose the meaning of Christmas, so I want to expose this, so that we can be intentional about how we approach this holiday. Luckily at the time of this podcast, we got a couple of weeks to renew our mindset.
What Happened to Christmas?
Christmas is arguably the biggest holiday that is celebrated in the United States. No other holiday has a whole month attached to it. Once December 1 hits, the trees go up, Starbucks starts offering their holiday drinks, and we start freaking out on what are we getting our families. It’s a fun time. We spend Christmas with our families, laughing, and enjoying great food while seeing our families’ faces lit up with joy once they open their gifts. As a kid, I remember enjoying Christmas over my own birthday. There was something special about Christmas. As an adult, I see how commercialized it truly is and it bothers me. I suppose because as a kid, I appreciated the hard work my single mother put in with making sure her three boys all had presents for Christmas and a delicious meal. I focused on the fact that I was with family. As an adult with access to social media, you see a lot more. You see how a holiday that was based around the birth of Christ, has turned into a commercialized day used to boost the economy, forgetting what we’re truly celebrating.
Santa Replaced Jesus!
Go to the nearest store like CVS or something, and look at the Christmas section. You’ll find a ton of Santa Claus everywhere, as well as reindeer, snowmen, and Christmas trees. Yet no mention of Jesus?
It seems like in society, Santa has taken the place of Jesus. There are kids with Christian parents, that believe Santa Claus is real. I find that troublesome. Parents today are more afraid of telling their kids Santa doesn’t exist, then to tell them that Jesus is God. Why is that? Why are parents not bold enough to raise their children in the truth from early on?
As a kid, I was taught early on by my mom that Santa wasn’t real. And guess what? I didn’t cry! I accepted it just fine. Not every kid will react the same, but I think it’s important parents stop lying to their children. How beautiful would it be to see kids showing thanks to God for who He is during this holiday season, rather than Santa for gifts that their own parents brought?
It’s insane honestly! We are out here thinking it’s okay to have our children believe that Santa is everywhere, watching their every deed whether good or bad. Last time I checked, only God is everywhere.
In the lyrics to Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, the lyrics aren’t very subtle. It reads
“Now, he sees you when you're sleeping
And he knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake”
But Angel this is a timeless Christmas song! You’re just overreacting and being a buzzkill. I would argue I’m not. Santa is being described as omnipresent, a quality only God has. How is that okay? Why are not teaching our children about the birth of Jesus, instead of how Rudolph had a shiny nose and helps Santa every year?
In The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 22, Verse 6 it says,
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
So I say, let’s make a stand, and remind our families what Christmas is truly about.
It’s about Jesus
So why do we celebrate Christmas? To put it simple, we celebrate the birth of Christ! Now I do want to put the disclaimer in case some of you guys didn’t know, that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th. However, we use December 25th to celebrate the first coming of Christ.
In the Book of Luke, Chapter 2-11 it says,
'At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! '
This is the true reason we celebrate Christmas. You see for hundreds of years, the Jews were waiting for the long awaited messiah that was prophesied all over the Old Testament. If you read the Old Testament, you’ll see it is full of humanities shortcomings. God however was always merciful and just, but it was clear that we could not obey the Law. The Law of Moses exposed our sinful nature, and showed the need for a savior. One who could be the ultimate sacrifice for us because back then, animal sacrifices were made for the atonement of our sins. So the Jews had longed for the coming of this messiah. It would take many, many years of waiting, but God eventually fulfilled that promise.
In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 14 it reads,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
You guys this prophecy was made around 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Absolutely mind-blowing! Immanuel means “God with us.” And boy was He and still is. He as it says, in John 1:14, became flesh and dwelt among us. I want you to just think about that for a second. Really think about it. We’re talking about God here. The God who created this entire universe. The same God who created every beautiful animal we see today. The same God who created us. The same God who spoke to Moses through a burning bush. The same God was parted the red sea. Him. He decided to walk among us. He decided to dine with us, to laugh with us, to heal us, and most importantly, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
Matthew 20:28 says,
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
God is so, so amazing you guys. He could’ve came and by force show His power and demand He served like a king would in those times. But He didn’t. He showed us unconditional love. He taught us to love our neighbor. He healed. We read throughout the New Testament of His ministry and all of the miracles He performed. He performed so many miracles that in John 21:25 it says,
“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”
God deserves better. We ought to acknowledge God every day of our lives. Every day should lived for Him. Forget just keeping Christ in Christmas, let’s keep Christ in everything. Ironic how on the day where we are to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we fail to even do that.
How to Keep Christ in Christmas
So how do we keep Christ in Christmas? Well first I want to just say, there is nothing wrong with gift giving on this holiday. However, we cannot forget the biggest gift of all. The gift that was given freely. The gift that cannot be taken back. The gift of salvation. The gift of spending eternity with Christ. The gift of never having to experience death, pain or sorrow ever again. Are you open to receive that gift? Are you open to allowing God to complete transform your life? If you already have, then awesome. If not, then I would love to pray with you if you’re open to receiving Jesus Christ into your heart.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord I want to start off by thanking you. Lord thank you for who you are. You are amazing. You created us in your image and likeness. You created us with purpose. You love us unconditionally. You love us so much, that you sent your son Jesus to die for our sins. Father God, we come to you at this moment with a humble heart, asking you to please forgive us of our sins. Forgive for not acknowledging you daily in our lives. Forgive us for forgetting what Christmas is about. Father God we celebrate this holiday, recognizing that Jesus is the messiah. Jesus is our Lord and savior. And Father God we declare today that we believe He not only died for our sins, but also rose from the dead. Thank you for giving us the gift of salvation. A gift that we do not work for. A gift that was given freely to us, because of our love for us. Help us grow closer to you God. Renew our minds, and Help us to live a life, worthy of the calling you’ve given us. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, amen.
Outro
Well that’s the end of this episode! I want to thank you so much for tuning in! I pray this episode was able to encourage you to keep Jesus at the center of this beautiful holiday season, as well as your daily life. Gift giving is awesome, but let’s not make it all about that. We have a God who is alive and well, that loves us more than we can ever imagine. We have a God who paid the price on the cross, so that we didn’t have to. I encourage you to read the story of the birth of Jesus in the Book of Luke, so that you may be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. God bless you and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will see you in 2024! Once again thank you for tuning in! This has been The Message.