Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Do You Celebrate Christmas?
You will recognize this story as your own. I stood in the restless checkout line. The scents of perfume and pumpkin spice advertised themselves as the celebration of…something. The storewide stereo piped the carols of a crooner across the massive building. Green wreaths, golden lights, and red bows all seemed to blurt, “Merry Christmas!” Actually, every sense seemed to be bombarded with sights and sounds that loudly implied, though carefully so not to offend, “Uh, have a Merry Christmas, if you want. But if not, the shortest day of the year is on its way; feel free to party!” As I made my purchases, all of them Christmas gifts, the lady at the checkout smiled warmly. “Merry…uh…Happy…” The momentary cloud cleared. “Happy Holidays!” “Same to you,” I smiled back. A little empty, isn’t it?
By now, we all know the growing trend to only imply Christmas. We profit from it, and we party in it; but we take pains not to celebrate it. Well, what is the difference? What does it mean to “celebrate”? My family recently had this very discussion. To party and to celebrate are not necessarily the same thing. A party needs but an excuse; a celebration must have a reason.
To celebrate, I told my kids, is to remember or recognize the worth of something or someone. Think about it. On Memorial Day, does every American recognize the worth of the sacrifices made to keep this country free? No, but we all like grilling out and kicking back! Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with festivities. There is nothing necessarily wrong with a “happy holiday.” But when there is no memory on a day, there is no celebration, only a party, like a birthday party without a birth…like Christmas without Christ.
Good friend, you can have “Merry” without “Christmas”; but without Christ, you will never have the joy of which the angels spoke when they announced Christ’s birth to shepherds. You will not have the peace that is a Person. That peace comes in the Prince of Peace. Now, let us take a deep breath and remember something. “Merry Christmas” is a wish and not a weapon. And yet to many, God’s offer is an offense. God’s Gift is, to some, like offering advice to the brilliant, health to the young, or money to the rich. They think they don’t need it! Christ’s birth implies that, contrary to one bumper sticker I saw, you and I were not born right the first time! A person who does not recognize his need of Christ will be hard-pressed to celebrate Him.
So, do I recognize Christmas? Do I remember the birth of the Son of God? Do I take time in December to acknowledge God’s Gift? Yes, I do! This is a season to celebrate!