Today is the day where children and adults have looked forward to and prepared with great anticipation. No, it is not the Sabbath day and it is not the day of the coming of Christ. But instead it is a day where people have looked forward to and spent a great amount of money to give gifts to others. But why do they do this? Is it truly to worship the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it to help them love God with all of their beings? No, it is a time for family and friends.
It is bewildering to me how and why so many people get caught up in a day where so much sin happens and say it is because of the birth of Christ. But is it a day where the resurrected Savior reigns (in the hearts of people)? Is it a day where people flee from all known sin because of the crucified Savior? Is it a day where people seek broken and humbled hearts because a humble Savior died on the cross for their pride? Is it a day where people seek inward and true brokenness because the broken body of the Savior was offered up in their place?
Without necessarily saying there is not a right way to celebrate the birth of Christ on this day, there is no command and no example in the Bible of doing so. The purpose of the birth of Christ was for Him to come and manifest the glory of God. The purpose of the birth of the human body of Christ was to be an instrument through which the glory of the Divinity would shine forth. The purpose of the birth of the human body of Christ was so that He would go to the cross and suffer and die to the glory of God the Father. The purpose of the birth of the human body of Christ was so that He would be resurrected and then ascend to the glory of God the Father. But was He born so that people would celebrate the birth?
The Divine Son of God was never born, but instead took a human body to Himself. When human beings focus on His humanity to the exclusion of the Divinity and the purposes which He has set out, it would appear that they would be going contrary to His will and to His express declarations. Sure it makes people feel good and deceives them into thinking that all of their holiday activities should be considered as worship, but has God ever commanded such a thing and do we have a biblical example of such a thing?
At the very least this is a day for a person to be zealous and guard the heart from crass materialism and (more importantly) crass idolatry and false worship. One can be a very giving person and do it because “it is the season”, but that unless what we do is truly out of love for God and His glory this is not the day for a season like that. It is so easy to set out an idol (an image of Christ) and think we are honoring Him. It is so easy to be caught up in the nice things of life, have a big celebration, and think that we are honoring Him. But true worship is never easy and is only obtained with a battle for the heart. True prayer and true worship can only happen when people have a spiritual battle and their hearts are humbled and broken before God. So far I have never seen or heard of a people that have gathered on this day to seek from the Lord broken and humbled hearts that they may worship. No, instead of that the day is given to a vast variety of merry and Mary things.
If December the 25th of any year or in reality any day of any year is to be a day of worship, people should realize that all true worship begins with a humbled and broken heart. As Psalm 51:17 teaches us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” There is no worship apart from a broken and a contrite heart since that is the only acceptable sacrifice/worship of the Savior. It is only that broken and contrite heart that is broken of self and so exalts Christ who went to the cross out of love for the Father and His glory rather than follow the desires of a human body that wanted to flee.
All the activities of December 25th are not worship regardless of how religious they are apart from that only true sacrifice. All the activities of December 25th are not worship apart from a broken heart that loves Christ. As the modern professing “Church” has been given over to a hardened heart and external rituals, it is not surprising if December 25th is just one more ritual that a people who love pleasure and seek for God to bless their rituals do. But let us not kid ourselves into thinking that this is truly a holy day in which Christ is truly honored above any other. God has given us one day out of seven to do this and all the trappings that have come with this day are not consistent with broken and humbled hearts seeking His glory in all things. People are damned by the rituals and external activities of professing “churches” which deceive them, so this day can also be a day of great deception. May God grant some people hearts that are broken and humbled in His presence and grant them true worship in the sight of His glory in the face of the resurrected Christ.
God Loves... Himself 
January 28, 2014 at 7:49 am |
This was an extremely edifying piece. To take the birth of Christ and make it for our own ends, (family, friends, peace;etc) rather than see the end for which He came and for which He gave Himself, to glorify the Father, destroy the work of the Devil, and redeem His own.