What does God say in the Bible about Christmas?
Luke 2:8-12 (NIV)
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
The Bible and the Believer. The New Testament contains two Christmas stories, not one. They appear in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2.
Christmas is a celebration, a time for giving and not simply a day we exchange gifts. The spirit of Christmas is in the 'togetherness', it's in the thought to which you put into thinking about others, it's a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what's important and become 'better' versions of ourselves.
Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.
Deuteronomy 16:21 says:
All in all, whether you put up a Christmas tree or not, the worship should always be about the Lord and nothing else. If that is your driving force, whether or not you put up a tree is solely up to you.
Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus's birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem. The earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth.
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources, but most biblical scholars generally accept a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC, the year in which King Herod died.
The Bible never tells Christians if they should have Christmas trees or not, but the Bible does tell Christians to reject any idols in their lives and worship Him alone. Christmas is about Jesus' birth and God's promise to save us, not about what we put on our Christmas trees.
Although most Christians celebrate December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ, few in the first two Christian centuries claimed any knowledge of the exact day or year in which he was born.
This is what the Spirit becomes and bestows in our lives: love for the Son by the Father through the Spirit. What Jesus wants most for Christmas is that his elect be gathered in and then get what they want most—to see his glory and then savor it with the very savoring of the Father for the Son.
What is the main message for Christmas?
CHRISTMAS PROCLAIMS A MESSAGE OF HOPE AND REDEMPTION
"It is because of him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." One of the ancient church fathers said, "The son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."
Why is Christmas so important? Christmas is important because it is a major religious holiday for Christians, because it is a widely celebrated secular holiday, and because it accounts for significant economic activity in the United States and worldwide.
December 2021) Christmas (which means “The Mass of Christ”) is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Christmas is also a cultural holiday for many non-Christians.
In Christianity, Christmas tree is symbolic of birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tree's branches and shrubs are viewed as an emblem of immortality and are said to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross.
"That became a symbol of Christ — being triangular in shape it represents the trinity — and from there came the idea that the tree should be a symbol of Christ and new life," Dr Wilson said. "That's one of the main origins of the Christmas tree and bringing it into the house."
WE EACH HAVE DIFFERENT GIFTS
Romans 12:6 reminds us that God, through Christ, has given each of us gifts to use for his glory. The holidays can be a great time to use your gifts for that purpose — to shine the light on Jesus while bringing joy to other people.
"In our day, especially in Europe, we are witnessing a type of 'distortion' of Christmas" in which "all reference to Christ's birth is eliminated from the holiday". In reality, however, "without Jesus there is no Christmas; there is another holiday, but not Christmas".
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Thus it is more likely, he said, that Jesus was born sometime between late July and early October. Fleming added that he believed the Star of Bethlehem was an early visitation of Halley's comet.
The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.
Why is it disrespectful to put your Christmas tree up before Remembrance Day?
The act of putting up holiday decorations before Remembrance Day on November 11 often sparks a polarizing debate. Some say it's disrespectful to veterans to distract us away from memorial events with Christmas decorations, ads or music; but others believe there is room for both.
Because Christmas is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ, as a light in the dark world, the lit tree was a reminder of that light. The Christmas tree also represents the Tree of Life, commonly recognized as the most important tree in the garden of Eden.
Ways Christians shouldn't approach home decorating
However, when we purchase or display things simply to impress others, our motivation is inappropriate. In fact, the Bible teaches that we shouldn't attempt to impress people with external actions (Matthew 23 & 1 Timothy 2:9-10).
The Roman Empire, before it recognized Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of Sol Invictus (Roman god of the sun) on Dec. 25, a date which coincided with the Roman festival Saturnalia, when people feasted and exchanged gifts.
The first official mention of December 25 as a holiday honoring Jesus' birthday appears in an early Roman calendar from AD 336. The celebration of Christmas spread throughout the Western world over the next several centuries, but many Christians continued to view Epiphany and Easter as more important.
6. The Gift of Eternal Life. Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Because motivated by love, God gave us His best gift at Christmas: Jesus.
- Read the Bible story with your family. ...
- Walk through Old Testament prophecies about the birth of Christ. ...
- Use an advent calendar with Scripture in it. ...
- Watch a Christ-focused movie. ...
- Call out wrong messages about Christmas. ...
- Listen to Christ-exalting Christmas music.
“The promise of Christmas is the promise of hope for every person who has ever lived on earth,” President Porter said. “Because of the Baby born in a humble stable, we can have the promise of eternal joy with God.
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
Other than people and God, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible. There are trees in the first chapter of Genesis (verses 11–12), in the first psalm (Psam 1:3), and on the last page of Revelation (22:2). As if to underscore all these trees, the Bible refers to wisdom as a tree (Proverbs 3:18).