HOLIDAY VS. HOLY DAY WRAPUP

CONCLUSION
Christ came preaching "the gospel of the Kingdom of God" (Matt 4:23, Mark 1:14). The
word gospel means good news. That good news concerns our opportunity for salvation through
Christ (Rom 1:16, 1 Thes 5:9, 2 Tim 2:10, Heb 9:28). The good news is also that Christ will return to
the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and set up the Kingdom of God with the newly
resurrected saints (Matt 24:30-31, 1 Thes 4:16-17, 1 Cor 15:50-55). At that time, the whole earth will
have just one religion and believe in the one true God (Isa 11:9, Heb 8:11). One should expect that
one religion to be the religion of the Bible, the revelation of the one true God, unaltered by the
traditions of men, and not incorporating any pagan customs whatsoever.
One can sympathize with the attitude of "putting Christ back into Christmas." However,
Christ was never in Christmas in the first place. Why would Jesus want to compete with a jolly fat
guy in a red suit giving out gifts? Why would He approve of being worshipped using pagan
customs, and having folks give gifts to each other instead of Him? We absolutely should honor
Christ, and we can do so by celebrating those 7 festivals commanded in the Bible which, as noted
earlier, encompass 19 days of the year. After all, it was Christ himself, as the Lord in the Old
Testament, that first commanded those festivals (1 Cor 10:1-4, John 1:1-18; 8:58, Col 1:13-20, Heb 1)!
So we honor Christ by keeping the festivals that He commanded in the first place (Matt 28:18-20).
And we give to Him by helping those in need (Matt 25:31-46) .
It is not wrong for parents to give appropriate gifts to their children from time to time. But
this should not be done as an obligation that perpetuates the custom of Christmas gift giving
borrowed from pagan celebrations. Certainly Santa should not be placed between the parents and
the children as a source of gifts, nor should children be led to believe in such a mythical figure.
For many that celebrate Christmas, it promises more than it can deliver. Human failings
make it difficult, if not impossible, to create a Norman Rockwell picture. Benjamin Franklin stated,
"Fish and visitors stink after three days." It is only natural that gathering a number of family
members together for several days may result in some tension. Because some individuals raise
their expectations too high for family gatherings, the result can be depression when results fall
short. Others may feel depressed if they receive but few Christmas cards or gifts, thinking these to
be a barometer of how much others care about them. And while receiving gifts is at first exciting,
staring at them after it is all over may bring some feelings of melancholy. In the end, what
everyone really wants to receive most is love, not things. Yet giving to those in need is nobler, and
provides its own reward at any time of the year.
Perhaps too many folks look in the wrong direction for their source of happiness, especially
at Christmastime. It is a personal and passionate relationship with God that creates a healthy heart
that no number of psychologists or psychiatrists could engender. There is much about which to be
joyful! Jesus Christ will return to the earth as its King! He will resurrect His children to eternal
life, and together with them, the ills of the world will be healed! As the angels sang to the
shepherds, there will be peace among men of good will! In that Kingdom, there will be many
happy reunions with family members, and old conflicts will be resolved. And then who knows
what amazing projects and activities will take place during the rest of eternity!?
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3/24/10

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