Let it first be said that, generally speaking, I am not keen on celebrating ‘special’ days. But I like to think that my distaste and dissatisfaction, from a lifetime of bungled attempts, with them has helped me see more properly. I have not been sucked down through laws of conventions and ‘just-so’ stories. I can more properly assess whether I ought to, or ought not, to be engaged in all these things.
For some days, it is quite obvious. I will not celebrate fourth of July as the rank pagan holiday it is, offering our thanks to the pantheon of forefathers. This is a part of America’s legacy from Rome, which she is following pretty well to the T. Worship our ancestors and our nation, and after the advances of wealth, power and technology, turn those affections upon ourselves. Like us, Rome had continually more self-involved generations to the point that ideal gentleman was no longer the public man, but the secluded introspect.
But this is neither here nor there.
I write this because of the present day: Christmas. I hate the name Christmas because I do not believe in masses nor that a specific mass would be set aside for Jesus, as if every moment of worship, every chance to breathe(!), wouldn’t be about Jesus.
But let us disregard the horrible naming convention and ask ourselves whether it’s even legitimate to celebrate, or to what extents it should be? Are we completely wrong? Our methods wrong? Or are we completely justified?
Let’s get out of the way the obvious American bogey that is this holiday. Christmas, according to most, Pagan, Atheist, many a Christian (sadly), is the same thing: a time of indulgence. According to the TV, and the ruthless cadre of ad-men, Christmas is a worship of the Baal of Consumerism.
We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. It becomes cutthroat as everyone tries make sure they are not caught with their pants down: giftless. If you receive a gift and don’t give one back, you’ve been one-upped on the generosity chart. You lose face and look like a Scrooge. We overeat (this is different than feasting), and become self-concerned with our failure for self-control (the gym-complex thrives this time of year). We waste hours decorating, many times out of envy or outdoing others.
Generally, it is a sick celebration that has become a staple of Americana. I despise the stories of Santa Clause as a satanic portrayal of the Lord. I do not enjoy all the mythos codified in the songs. Instead of being a symbol of purity, snow becomes a symbol for hiding all our problems. Fraud and fakeness in family gatherings can be suffocating.
But what about this celebration from a theological perspective? Do we have a right to do anything on this day? If the Bible is our authority, then what do the Apostle’s teach respecting this?
This is where I would enter my definition of liturgy (lower-case l) for warranting any recognition on this day. Liturgy is the practice of a community in their life of worship and communal gatherings. Meeting on Sundays, eating from the Lord’s Table, hearing the Word preached, coming in at 9 AM, all of these are parts of liturgy. The Bible tells us what must be apart of our liturgies (the Supper, the Word, prayer, fellowship; cf. Acts 2), but it does not place a ban on things not mentioned.
Of course, there are principles in place that do affect what happens.
There are the fruits of the Spirit, the working out of Christ’s Life, that determine our actions. If part of our liturgy was setting chairs, some of which were reserved for the rich, or there was a section built for only the women, this would run contrary to the peace in CHrist. In Him, all walls are broken down. Separate seating is a physical testament that we are not equal, that there is still a hierarchy in place determining our worth.
There is also the reality of binding. If special days are forced upon people, and made mandatory of the Christian life and the life of the Church, then these things have become evil and must be thrown away. If they represent the lifeblood of your community, they must be burned away.
However, we must realize that all we do in corporate worship is not proscribed of the Bible. There is nothing telling us when we should meet, where we should meet, or any material arrangement of the things involved. Even for those things which are proscribed, their order or placement is not dictated. It is not told whether we should receive the Supper before hearing and discussing the Scripture, or after. These things are peripheral issues that are determined by the life of the Church.
This Nativity day is like the above. If a church chooses to celebrate the Incarnation, or any particular aspect about the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, let them do so. If a church chooses not, they should be afforded the same. If a church meets on Sunday, let them do so. If they meet on a Tuesday, they should be afforded the same.
Creating a calendar is not for the purposes of counting the days, but inhabiting particular truths that are real all year long. Jesus does not become a baby in the winter, and a crucified man in the spring. He is the Risen Lord 24/7, all year round. But we must, as a people, drink in these stories.
If the Church recognizes the Nativity, and sets aside a day, they should not be divided or separated from one that does not. Unlike the Liturgy (upper-case L) in Torah, these are not the crucial matters. In Torah, every act and movement had significance, pointing ahead to the fulfillment. Now, we have a “conjugation” of these rites, but they are on the other side. The things proscribed are accompanied by a free life in the Spirit.
I choose not to carried away in the Pagan flood of Christmas practices, a worship of the American gods. However, today is a day I will choose to think on the narrative of the Birth of my Lord Jesus, the Christ, King of Heaven and Earth. Last night, this was done corporately, today it will be done in solitude.
May no one pressure you to celebrate in anyway. You are free in Christ. If you do, dive into the Scriptures and let them guide your thinking and imagination. May you be taken to the dawning of a new world in humble Bethlehem.