The Reason

Some Christians argue against celebrating Christmas. He wasn't born this time of year, they say; or He never suggested, much less commanded, that we should observe His birthday; or Christmas is overwhelmingly secular in our culture, so isn't this "reason for the season" stuff a little disingenuous-- especially since it is not His birthday and so many of the people celebrating it are not His people? Fair enough. If anyone has convictions against keeping Christmas, they shouldn't do so. Romans 23b says, "Whatever is not from faith is sin [whatever is done with doubt is sinful]" (AMP 2015). 

But what if we approach this by taking a look at the Resurrection? Resurrection Sunday (more commonly called Easter) is the most important date on the Christian calendar, and rightly so. Without Christ's resurrection, his death doesn't save us. Without Christ's resurrection, His birth doesn't matter. 

Which means His birth matters a whole lot; His resurrection makes it so. Our births matter, too, because He is risen. Without the resurrection, the fact that any of us were even born would be cause for relentless mourning and weeping, because we would have been born only for destruction. Jesus died and rose to redeem us, yes, but also to make sense of human existence. 

So, because we celebrate the resurrection, we can celebrate events that take on meaning because of it. Birthday parties now make sense, because the fact of our births has been made worthwhile. Yes, His birthday may not be December 25, but how could He have saved us if He'd never been born as a man? No one can re-surrect unless He first surrects, to use an archaic term that means rises. If the resurrection makes the birth meaningful, then the birth makes the resurrection possible. 

And besides all this, Matthew and Luke, in their first and second chapters, were inspired to record the details--the most important of which is that Jesus was born of a virgin whose pregnancy was caused by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. A supernatural star appeared. Angels sang the good news. In the face of such miracles, how can we not sing the news, too? And as lovers of the Lord, how could we let others rejoice that Jesus is born! while choosing to sit it out? I can't imagine doing so. 

And so, I wish you Merry, Merry Christmas, to you and your house.