WHAT SENSE DOES CHRISTMAS MAKE?

I grew up, forbidding Christmas, and indeed, all major Christian and even religious celebrations, because, as one born into a Jehovah’s Witnesses family, I was taught the “unbiblicalness” of such celebrations, and I went around, from door to door, and in school, from desk to desk, defending, as if my life depended on it, the logic that all such religious celebrations, including my personal birthday celebration, have their roots in idol worship and aren’t of God.

If I am asked the best skill I have, or my most cherished endowments, it is for me, the ability to question my own beliefs, review them, and possibly, change them many times over. This trait manifested early in my life, when as a little boy, I would ask my grandparents, some questions about our beliefs and life generally. But for the kindness of my grandparents, especially, my grandmother, to whom I was specially close, I would have been marked as an unbeliever, even when I believed, passionately. It’s already two decades plus, since I bade my final farewell to that very interesting religious sect, but I still thank my grandparents for giving me the opportunity of growing with extensive Bible knowledge and imbuing in me, some ideologies and moral virtues, that make me sometimes appear timid before certain people and gatherings.

Today, I do not only celebrate Christmas and other Christian festivals, including my birthday and my children’s birthdays, I am also very convinced about the Godliness of such celebrations.

The attack against some Christian, especially, Catholic practices seem more virulent today than it was when I was growing up, yet, the more I observe things, the more I am convinced that every true Christian organisation and doctrine has its root in the Roman Catholic Church, but the desire to be seen as different, in order to grow their church business makes them twitch some of these doctrines and practices to suit their business models.

All the organisations that reject the celebration of Christmas advance the same argument logic; that there is no evidence that Christ was born on December 25 and that the date is linked to some idolatrous festival in ancient Rome, hence, ungodly. As much as it could be true that certain ancient religions of the Roman Empire had a traditional celebration dedicated to certain gods which coincides with the same date as we mark Christmas today, the fact that this day is now dedicated to the celebration of the birth of our Lord and personal Savior, Jesus, is a major victory for Christianity, because it is an evidence of the triumph of Christianity over idol worship. And on the logic that there is no evidence that Christ was born on the 25th of December, I do not think such details are more important than dedicating a day to commemorate the coming into the world of the single figure whom Christians credit for our redemption for sin. If you must wait to get a verifiable evidence that Christ was born on December 25th, then, you may as well have to stop believing in Jesus Christ, entirely, because you could still logically argue that He never came or that powers, miracles and teachings attributed to him are not true. Being a Christian is purely an act of faith, and not logic and like the Bible rightly instructs; “Obedience is better than sacrifice”.

Believing in and celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ is as important as commemorating his death and resurrection, because if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t have died. The significance of the visit by the Wise Men from the East who took expensive gifts to the Infant Jesus, when his birth was revealed to them is enough evidence that His birthday is significant and a good biblical background for continued celebration of this significant incident in our Christian faith.

Merry Christmas to all of us.

ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES