December 25
December 25 is the traditional anniversary of the birth of
Christ, but most scholars are unsure about the true date for Christ's birth.
The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25 was made
sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in Rome. They had a
specific reason for doing so.
Having turned long ago from worshiping the one true God and
creator of all things, many early cultures in the Roman empire had fallen into
sun worship. Recognizing their dependence on the sun's yearly course in the
heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days
are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun
god strength and bring him back to life again. When it became apparent that the
days were growing longer, there would be great rejoicing.
The church leaders in Rome decided to celebrate Christ's
birth during the winter solstice in an attempt to Christianize these popular
pagan celebrations. For the most part their efforts failed to make the people
conform, and the heathen festivities continued. Today we find ourselves left
with a bizarre marriage of pagan and Christian elements that characterizes our
modern celebration of Christmas.
Regardless of the pagan background of so many December
traditions, and whether or not Jesus was born on December 25th, our goal is
still to turn the eyes of all men upon the true Creator and Christ of
Christmas. The light of the world has come. And the Christmas season and
celebration presents the church with a wonderful opportunity to preach the good
news--that men can be made righteous and have peace with God through faith in
His Son, Jesus Christ.
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