What Happened to Christmas?

Reader’s Digest asked this question in its August 1992 issue and concluded, “Christmas, once a purely religious holiday, now mostly means Santa Claus and stockings, sleigh bells and candy canes—and seems to have little or nothing to do with the birth of Christ.” Schools are forbidden to celebrate the birth of Christ. Community property may not be used for scenes of Christ’s birth. Businesses make it their greatest profit period for the year. Churches have downgraded it in their program to a musical and a sermon or two.

Christmas

Christmas is the most important holiday in our nation. As observed in our country today, Christmas is a strange mixture of Biblical truth, church tradition, folk custom and commercialism. It is one of the busiest seasons for travel. It is important not only to the airlines and bus companies, but also to many other kinds of businesses. Some businesses make Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, Christmas cards, and Christmas gift items all year long. A variety of other businesses depend on Christmas sales for a part of their annual income.

Resurrection, Christ’s and Ours

Introduction Traditionally, those who claimed to be Christians professed to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the bodily resurrection of all who die. The Apostles Creed states, “I believe in Jesus Christ, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again.” This Creed further states, ” I believe in the resurrection of the body.” However, higher criticism has caused many to doubt or deny the bodily character of the resurrection, and even among those who are considered to be evangelical opinions differ concerning the meaning of “I believe in the resurrection of the body.”

Jesus’ Birth…An Act of God or an Accident of Man

Understanding the “how” of Jesus’ coming into this world has been the subject of discussion since the time of Paul the Apostle. Every generation has made an attempt to explain His birth in human terms rather than a miraculous act of God. One school of thought supposes that Joseph and Mary entered into an intimate relationship before their marriage rites were completed and Jesus was born as a result of that action. More recently liberal theologians have speculated that Mary and a German soldier engaged in immoral activity that produced Jesus.