The Meaning Behind the Myths
Not everything you see on TikTok is true. In fact, I have seen an increase of Christmas myths on my feed this year. For example, have you heard the myth that Christmas was originally a pagan holiday that was stolen by the Christians? TikTok told me that originally the winter solstice celebrated some Roman Deity; therefore, it must be true.
First, even if this theory was true, isn't God all about taking something that is opposed to Him and making it holy? I am thankful God has done this in my life. God has made a habit of turning pagan things Christian!
But, there doesn't appear to be much, if any, evidence that Christmas was stolen from the pagans. In fact, no one argued that Christmas was taken from Roman religious celebrations before the 12th century. Others have made a big deal out of the use of Christmas trees and yule logs because these can be tied back to Germanic pagan celebrations in around the 16th century. But Christians have been specifically celebrating the birth of Jesus back to the 2nd century, within 100 years of Jesus' life and ministry. Some traditions may be taken or adapted, but the core of the Christmas holiday predates the pagans.
But, why December 25th? While we don't know exactly when Jesus was born, there was an early theory from a church father named Augustine in the 4th Century that I find intriguing. Augustine argued that since Jesus lived a perfect life, his life must have ended on the same day it began. Therefore, Augustine argued that Christ's death happened on the same day, thirty or so years after his conception.
Since we know Jesus died on March 25, around the Passover, they believed he was conceived around the same time. Nine months after March 25 is…December 25! The church has ran with it ever since!
But the real point of Christmas is not about a specific day on a calendar, but about an event in history. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. He was born in a quiet village in the middle of nowhere. His parents were not royalty. He never left the general area around his hometown. He never ran for political office, never starred in a TV Show, and never wrote a book. Yet billions of people remember His birth and life every year. In fact Christians, in reality, celebrate the birth of Jesus every week when we gather for worship.
The birth of Jesus is "good news of great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10). God the Son came to be born in a manger so that God and sinners might be reconciled. Jesus is Savior, Christ, and Lord (Luke 2:11). The classic carol gets at the source of our hope, "Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth."
Christmas is good news because God with us in the manger grew up to die instead of us on the cross and rise again from the dead. Then Jesus ascended into Heaven and lives inside us through the Holy Spirit. This is the hope of Christmas to be received by faith.
Don't let Christmas remain just a season, let it be your hope for your life. Jesus has come to free us from death, to give us new birth so that we might have everlasting life. Join us in singing, "Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the Newborn King!”