How Should We Celebrate the Birth of Christ. But now, for over four hundred years, the prophetic voice had been silent. Publisher: OpenBible.info. This is exactly what we have in Christianity. However, God does promise to give us what we need (Philippians 4:19), and He promises to keep our minds in His peace, if we will pray to Him. There are four main points to this short message: Each of these points is important, of course. Because man is at odds with God, there cannot be peace on earth. Why not join every year with the shepherds on that first Christmas, "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen" (Luke 2:20)? you are asking. Home It is in this sense a doxology, which means to express a right opinion of God verbally. But their amazement is fitting to Christmas - it's a sample of what Christmas amazement should be for those who understand the Christmas story. Have you seen those things? The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. - Sort By Book Order. That is the question. In chapter 2, verse 10, Paul writes of God's fairness in granting "glory, honor and peace, for everyone who does good.". Finally, by an obvious extension, glory meant a person's true "worth." Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! The Herald Angels Sing" Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. Christians are to be active in many efforts to achieve social justice, improve the life of the poor, minister to the needy. You can sharpen up your affections; indeed, you must, for it is a terrible thing to have your love for the One who is the Lord of love grow cold. And the herald proclaimed aloud, You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Jeremiah 10:2-4 ESV / 302 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Answer: Your question is backward. of And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. The meaning of His name is "He will save His people from their sins" It is not just brooding or getting into a pious frame of mind. There is the peace of God, which is personal. To ignore them is unimaginable. He was born to die. Perhaps you are one who longs for the Lord's return. No doubt, these examples of the reduction of the biblical view of salvation to human dimensions are not equally bad. After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, Hallelujah! Moreover, you can do it in song. There is a clue to what peace means in this verse in the way the word is used in the earlier chapters of Romans. Who was He really? Love never ends. I believe that I can illustrate the fact that two kinds of peace are involved here by the wording of one of Charles Wesley's great hymns, in which the same contrast is found, although the actual word used is different. Further light is shed upon these verses by the meaning of the words for peace in the original Greek and Latin. But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas" (1). The Truth! The Infinite clothed in human flesh! He then assured the professor that the reason why the Christmas message was an apparent farce to him was not God's fault. Beyond any question, the gospel of Jesus Christ has important social implications. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:1-3). Our children's gift to us is their example of amazement which will lead us to recapture our own sense of amazement at the incarnation. Anybody who knows good news is authorized to tell it, particularly when it is news that will be the means of salvation of others. It is the message of Christmas. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Scripturally speaking, a Christian's celebrating a birthday is a non-issue. One person who has been responsible for watering down the biblical meaning of the word "salvation" is Paul Tillich, the German-born American theologian. My family likes to read these together on Christmas Eve, right before we go to bed. The difficulty lies rather in the fact that today, if only because of the impressive achievements of medical science, this approach inevitably fails to distinguish between the salvation that God alone can bring and that salvation which men are apparently providing for themselves. Why not join every year with the shepherds on that first Christmas, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen (Luke 2:20)? He became a man in His incarnation. We can estimate when Jesus was born by counting backward from his death on Passover, Nisan 14 in the spring of the year 33 C.E. He would have simply thought her unfaithful. And "you will find rest for your souls." Proud member Spend some time at Christmas thinking over what you do know of God and trying to understand the ways of God more fully. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). 8. So do that. It is in this emotional center of man, called by Scripture 'the heart,' that James says war begins, when the lusts within a man strive together." Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. One verse, which is often quoted by Christians who argue against celebrating Christmas, is Luke chapter 2, verse 34. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? What are they? On December 25th people the world over will celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. I doubt if this was what he meant. H B At this point our Bible text comes in, for it is a report of how those who witnessed the first Christmas observed it. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. When the angels had departed, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. To do so is to participate in the Christmas story. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. It is a temporary fascination with something unusual. In fact, the opposite is the case. Or that they had not been endorsed by the temple authorities? You cannot tell that which you have not first felt and experienced. When men seek to have their own way, it becomes a mighty farce. We are told of them that they "returned glorifying and praising God." His works were first collected in one volume in 1858, by William Barclay Turnbull. Publication date: Apr 30, 2023. But if that is true, why do we not see peace today? She would have wondered how she could have conceived without having slept with a man. C They had heard the music of heaven. P Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Joy is a wonderful thing; it is an appropriate part of Christmas. The second message brought by the angels concerning the birth of Christ is the message to Joseph. And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holythe Son of God. I love this word "glorify." Peter tells us that God delays only long enough to call to repentance all whom He has before determined should believe ("He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" see 2 Peter 3:9). We cannot understand it but it is true, and we should marvel at it. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In other words, the only ultimate essential for proclaiming the gospel is a knowledge of it. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. The Life! D Systematic Theology Volume 2: Existence and the Christ. Suddenly the angels appear, first to Zechariah and then to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and the word is out: God has not forgotten! Permissions He restores my soul. They are: The appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. If God did that, He would soon make a muddle of our Christian lives because "We do not know what we ought to pray for" (Romans 8:26), and we pray with wrong motives. Things seem to go as they have been going from the beginning, and you want something better. Many people believe that the celebration of Christmas is rooted in the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. What are we to say to such theories? I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 2023 BGEA May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Second, it involved her affection, for she treasured these things in her heart. Verse 17 suggests that we are to tell others what we have seen and heard; but we can hardly do that effectively until we have first been amazed at Christ's birth, pondered its meaning, and glorified and praised God for it. If man could save himself, then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to be born. Here is a rest that is given and a rest that is found. 52 Bible Verses about Celebration Verse Concepts They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Bible tells us that the birth of Jesus was unlike all other births in that Jesus existed before birth as the second person of the Godhead and He became man, not to provide us with a sweet story to tell children each winter or even as a theme for our greatest musical compositions, but in order to grow to maturity and then to die for our sin as This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. Keiper asked what he meant. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.. You can tell if you do by attempting to rehearse God's attributes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. Ralph L. Keiper once said, "When we know Christ, not as a doctrine or a theory, but as Savior and Friend in our daily experience, we gain a confidence in Him which brings peace to our hearts. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Helpful Not Helpful Praise the Lord! Hopefully Christmas this year has been more than presents and parties for you, and youve taken time to focus on Jesus. "He was born like us as well as died like us. He wrote and remember, he is writing to Christians "What causes fights and quarrels among you? They would readily tell you that the Bible commands us to celebrate Jesus' birth - that it is a time of rejoicing for the coming of the Savior of the world. This article may not be reproduced in any other fashion without the expressed written permission of the Alliance. Glorify and praise God for what was done that first Christmas. The Bible tells us that the birth of Jesus was unlike all other births in that Jesus existed before birth as the second person of the Godhead and He became man, not to provide us with a sweet story to tell children each winter or even as a theme for our greatest musical compositions, but in order to grow to maturity and then to die for our sin as a means of our salvation. Each year when I read the Christmas story, I am impressed with the role that the angels play in it. He answered, "That old threadbare message of peace on earth, good will to men." And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. But the problem is that what God means by the phrase is not what men generally mean when they use it. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Have you heard these messages and appropriated them for yourself? For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. For praising God is essentially an act of glorifying God with the whole being and, in this, music quite naturally takes a part. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. Though you have not seen him, you love him. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. It is the way mentioned in the book of Philippians. U And it is this in which we are to imitate them. If you have, then you understand your need of a Savior and are at the place where you can receive Jesus as the One who died to save you. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. The Bible teaches that men are in revolt and rebellion against God but that God has acted to establish peace through His Son Jesus Christ, the mediator. Then, you can think about these things and allow God to teach you more about Himself. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. V M As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. That is what Jesus Himself said: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." 9. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. For there are many references to salvation as deliverance from disease (Matthew 9:21; Luke 6:19; 18:42; James 5:15), captivity (Philippians 1:13,19), or physical death (Mark 13:20; John 12:27; Hebrews 5:7). O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him In early fall. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Pondering is work. How could their tongues be silent when they had heard such music? We need to think about each of these ways. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:30-33). Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. This has something to do with the age in which we live as well as with the general aspirations of mankind, I suppose. However, by the late fourth century it was generally celebrated in churches. There is a sense in which the world will never know even one of these three types of peace until the return of Jesus Christ. It was lost because it lacked direction, primarily spiritual direction. Come to Him! In all that he does, he prospers. The words of the angel to Joseph confirmed Joseph's authority and responsibility in the naming of Mary's child. Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toilthis is God's gift to man. 1. Christ was born to save! The difficulty with this approach does not lie in the thought that the biblical view of salvation is unrelated to such themes. Let's consider four reasons why Christmas doesn't meet the criteria of being "Christian.". But the angel appeared and explained to Joseph what was happening. So everyone who knows of Christ and has become a Christian can tell others of Him. Grosart. Easter Easter is another holiday that is celebrated by Christians. This is a cause for amazement. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. How can this be? In fact, it . Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. One day just before Christmas vacation, the professor said, "Well, Keiper, are you going to preach that old Christmas farce again?" But they have. Dr. Keiper relates how during his university days, when he often spent the weekends preaching, he had the following conversation with one of his non-Christian professors. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. Jesus is coming! Moreover, since acknowledging His true worth is the essential meaning of worship it means to acknowledge God's worth to glorify God is to worship Him by words. ( John 19:14-16) Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his three-and-a-half-year ministry, so he was born in the early fall of 2 B.C.E. Luke 3:23. Celebrating Christmas can also take the form of pondering it, for Mary "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. TopicalBible And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 5 Bible Verses That Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Health, Inspiration How often have we heard the phrase, "Christ is the reason for the season." To help remind us of why we celebrate Christmas, here are five key Bible verses that celebrate the birth of Jesus. His birthday was celebrated on December 25th. Had God forgotten His people? I am glad that the angel appeared to Joseph and not only to Mary. He explained the full force of the original language which literally means "Glory to God in the highest and peace among men of peace." Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Mary and Joseph were far from home, in a strange town without even a room to themselves in which Mary could give birth to the Child. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! This combination, when truly grasped, produces witnesses. Keiper concluded, "When men are truly men of good will seeking to do God's will this text becomes a mighty force. The other kind of amazement is a holy wonder in response to those acts of God which are beyond human comprehension. All rights reserved. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 11. Nor am I referring to happiness. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. And we need to understand exactly what the biblical meaning of these words is if we are to understand this part of the angel's announcement. Happiness is related to circumstances. And the shepherds would not have come to the manger in the little town of Bethlehem if the angels had not conveyed their message. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band. And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. The time of fulfillment has come! Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

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