During the years of my preaching, I have said little about the practice of celebrating the Christmas season. Most often, I just presented a biblical message totally unrelated to what was going on in our culture. I have treated this season differently than I did Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even Easter. On those occasions, I have presented biblical messages that relate to our traditions in our society.

Our practice has been to ignore this season in our assemblies, but individually we participate in the festival season as others do. We have enjoyed the decorations, beautiful songs, exchanging of gifts, and sending of greeting cards to one another. I like this season of the year and the traditions that surround it.

What do you think about Christmas? Most of us have probably come to some very similar views about it. Others are not very sure how it relates to Christianity. Some may be very much opposed to the family and cultural traditions.

Though the Bible does not speak directly about Christmas, it does address the subject in principle. We can apply these principles to this day and other "special days" as well.

A good beginning point is the general place of traditions. We have been warned so much about traditions that we have built up a very negative attitude toward the concept. We should understand that traditions alone are neither good nor bad; they just exist. No one is free from tradition. It is always present. Every individual, family, community, nation, church has developed various traditions in their lives. Tradition simply refers to those things that have been handed down. The Greek word, paradosis, means transmission. It is the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs from one generation to another.

1) Eating out in a favorite restaurant at special times, like birthdays, anniversaries, celebrating annual events, is a typical American tradition. You may have special things that you like to do to celebrate events in the lives of your family members. Those are traditions and there is nothing wrong with them.

2) There are many traditions surrounding weddings. Some are these: the bride wearing a white dress, throwing the bridal bouquet, quests throwing rice (now bird seed) on the couple, tying cans to the back of the car, decorating the car, etc. When Charles and Judy Foster’s daughter married here, that couple cut a log in two to symbolize working together. That is a German tradition in weddings. In a television show recently, in an Indian village it was indicated that the girl chose her husband by saying, I choose you. The man did not propose to the girl, according to our tradition. Some countries practice parental selection of the bride for their son. There is nothing wrong with those traditions. They would be wrong if they violated something in Scripture. But the word, tradition, is not a bad word.

3) The things that we do in Christianity are called in Scripture, traditions. They are, of course, Christian traditions that are teachings and practices. Paul wrote:

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." (2 Thess. 2:15.)

"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us."

(2 Thess. 3:6.)

All of the teachings of Christ and the apostles have been handed down to us. They are, therefore, traditions. There are other practices that are simply human traditions in the church. They are not wrong because they are human in origin. Examples are: many communion cups, an invitation song after a sermon, church buildings, fellowship halls, how we dress on Sundays, what hours we meet, Sunday School, VBS, Sunday night worship, Wednesday Bible classes, etc.

4) The problem with traditions arises when the practice or belief conflicts with Christian traditions. If some practice handed down from one generation to another violates some basic Christian principle, then that tradition should be stopped.

"Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? . . . Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." (Matt. 15:3, 6.) The Jewish practice of making religious oaths was acceptable, but a problem arose when a particular oath conflicted with a specific command of God (Honor thy father and mother). They are called "traditions of men." (Col. 2:8.)

5) "To live free of human tradition, even in the church, is impossible. Our task is to make sure that human traditions enrich the life of the church and never undermine the teachings of God or diminish his people." (Church & Family, "Tradition is Not a Dirty Word," Howard W. Norton, Fall 1999, 32.)

The word, holiday, means holy day. It is important to understand the nature of special religious days and whether Christians can participate in their celebration. I believe that three questions need answered.

1) Does acknowledging some ancient traditional practice with non-Christian connections cause the Christian who participates to sin?

No. We use the names of the days of the week that have been handed down to us. Often we do not even know what the names originally meant. Sun-day honors the sun; Mon-day the moon; and the other five days after the five known planets in that day of the Roman empire, about the same time of the beginning of Christianity. Are we wrong for using these traditional names because they honor the Roman gods who were associated with those planets? No.

Are we doing something wrong, if in the distant past, someone cut trees and used them in idolatrous worship? No. We would be wrong if we so used them in some false worship. I do not know of anyone who decorates trees for that reason. Jeremiah condemned the worship of idols:

"For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest; the work of the hands of the workman with the ax. They deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree but speak not. They must needs be borne because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good." (Jer. 10:3-5.)

The wooden idol was fashioned from the trees of the forest. After it was carved into some shape, it was covered with gold and silver.

The Christmas Tree has been traced back to the Romans. It went from Germany to Great Britain, and is almost universal in the United States. (Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 6, 623.) Martin Luther seems to be the one who first cut a tree and put it in the house. It is reported that he wandered through the woods one starry Christmas Eve and became so enamored by the wonders of the night and the starlit sky. He cut a snow-laden firtree and, when he returned home, set it up for his children and illuminated it with numerous candles to represent the stars. (The Book of Festival Holidays, Marguerite Ickis, 152.)

If Luther was the first to put a Christmas tree in his house, there was nothing wrong with what he did, nor with what we do.

2) Is it wrong for individual Christians to acknowledge one day as a special day above the other days? To have holy days?

No, the Bible addresses that issue directly. The context of Romans 14 is the customs of eating and drinking and acknowledging one day above another. Paul wrote:

"One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. He that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it." (Rom. 14:5-6.)

Paul continued to follow the Jewish tradition of the Passover even after the Law of Moses was nailed to the cross. Was it wrong for Paul to do so? No. As a Christian, Paul could celebrate the Passover with its fulfillment with greater meaning than ever before. If one did not want to keep the Passover, it was not bound upon him to do so. It was not wrong to continue the practice of physical circumcision. They could not bind it upon others. But now, this act with its spiritual fulfillment would have greater meaning to Jewish Christians.

Could Christians today keep a day to honor the Ascension of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the birth of Jesus? If they so choose and so long as that tradition does not conflict with some teaching of Scripture. The Bible often allows Christians the freedom of conscience to act and to do many things not specifically mentioned in the Bible. It would be wrong if someone compelled another Christian to keep those days as having some special significance. It would be wrong also if someone tried to forbid individual believers from keeping special days. "For why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?" (1 Cor. 10:29.)

"Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ." (Col. 2:16-17.) ". . . how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days and months and times and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." (Gal. 4:9-10.) These were weak Christians turning again to the things of the Law of Moses without understanding.

3) Should the Church have holy days or special days?

This is a different question than the one above. There is a difference between an individual’s choices and freedoms from what is practiced by the whole church. The church is made of individuals who are making different choices on the optional matters. The very fact that on these matters, (circumcision, eating certain meats, drinking, making religious oaths and special holy days), we can do different things indicates that as a church we would not have a single practice. Some in the body would choose to do one thing; others would choose the opposite.

However, there are some optional practices that are done by the whole church. Some of these have already been named: a fellowship hall, singing with four-part harmony, Campbell did not like singing songs with musical notations and so composed a book of songs without them, an invitation song after the sermon, multiple cups or single cups, circumcision, etc. All such things are optional. We should not force one view upon believers. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." (Rom. 14:5.) But when we come together, one method or choice must be made. It would not be wrong to change the things which are optional.

We should often teach the importance of the virgin birth of our Lord. We do not know when he was born, but he was born one day! How significant that singular event!

Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled

Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem

Mild, He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel

Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness

Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth

Chorus:

Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King