The Christmas Story: Why, When, Where?
Dec 2023
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“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
—Matthew 1:18-21
Does the church celebrate the true meaning of Christmas?
In Galatians 4:4, the apostle Paul declares, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.” Notice the phrase that Paul uses, “fulness of the time.” Luke 2:1-4 reads, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one in his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.”
Luke 2:7 tells us that at this time the virgin Mary, “Brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” However, nine months earlier, in the “fulness of time,” I believe the great God of heaven whispered passionately to His Son, the second person of the Trinity, “I can wait no longer, I need you, My Son, to go to the world below, My beloved creation, to teach them and provide for them the way out of despair, bondage, hopelessness and sin.”
One of my very favorite gospel songs, “O What A Savior,” was written in 1948 by Marvin P. Dalton, and the lyrics, in part, state:
Once I was straying in sin’s dark valley,
No hope within could I see,
They searched through heaven and found a Savior
To save a poor lost soul like me.
O what a Savior! O hallelujah!
His heart was broken on Calvary,
His hands were nail scared, His side was riven,
He gave His life-blood for even me.
What a great song and what a great truth. The Christmas story is all about Christ invading our world to save fallen mankind from sin. The angel told Joseph, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). And now, for two thousand years, that has been happening.
WAS JESUS CHRIST, THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM, REALLY BORN ON DECEMBER 25?
The Gregorian calendar reminds us every year to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25. However, from my studies, I now believe that the babe of Bethlehem was not actually born on December 25. In my studies of the Greek and Roman culture, up through the third and fourth century, Saturnalia (worship of the god Saturn) was celebrated, associated with the winter solstice. This was a pagan celebration observed annually from December 17 to 25. During this time in December, leading up to December 25, millions of pagans, in the Greek and Roman world exchanged gifts, laughed, and celebrated with the finest cuisine and drink. Some historical sources say that Emperor Constantine I, in AD 337, as an alternative to the pagan celebration of Saturnalia, began to officially promote December 25 as a date and time to celebrate the birth of Christ. Other historical sources tell us that the bishop of Rome, Julius I, agreed with this and officially declared in AD 350 that the church would celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25. So, since AD 337 and/or AD 350, Christians began embracing the tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25 and this has continued down through the centuries of time.
After studying the historical timeline of the reigns of Caesar Augustus and King Herod of Palestine and then the biblical and Jewish record of the taxation by Cyrenius, governor of Syria mentioned by Josephus, many scholars believe that this trip to Bethlehem actually occurred in the fall of the year, after the Jewish harvest and somewhat near the time of the Jewish celebration of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur always occurs in late September or early October. This could mean that Joseph and Mary made their trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem in late September or early October.
Luke 2:8 tells us that shepherds were in the field, “keeping watch over their flock by night” when the angel appeared to them announcing the birth of Christ. New Testament scholars remind us that the shepherds did not graze their sheep in the open fields at night during the winter months; it was too cold.
So, will I now set a date in the fall of the year to celebrate Christmas? Absolutely not. I will enjoy December 25.
In John 1:29, John the Baptist declared about his cousin Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Sin is mentioned 112 times in the New Testament. The Greek word for sin is hamartia, which is interpreted as “an offense; to err or trespass; to miss the mark.” It means to mess up. Sin is destructive and brings shame, regret, and heartache.
Dear friend, you don’t have to live in sin, shame, and bondage. You can be free. In I John 1:7 John writes, “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The apostle John said “all.” How do we truly experience forgiveness of sin and be set free from the power of sin? It is only by sincere faith and complete trust in what Christ did on Calvary. We must be fully persuaded that Christ really, really died for us. He shed his life’s blood to cleanse us and pardon us from all sins.
Understanding Christmas is understanding and believing with all of our heart, mind, and soul that God truly loves us and wants us to be free from sin, shame, and brokenness. Simply, in prayer, admit to God that you have sinned, and you need a Savior. Ask Him to forgive you and to live in you. Declare to God that you want to make Christ the Lord of your life and that you will serve Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind. Afterward, testify to others that you have decided to be a follower of Christ. Then, as soon as you can, present yourself to your pastor to be baptized in water as a testimony of faith.
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