Merry Christmas, 2014!
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Important messages
The time for buying,
preparing and sending Christmas cards goes by too fast. It’s a shame, because
we really enjoy those seasonal tasks and, of course, we enjoy receiving them
even more. At least, by means of this blog, Margaret and I can send you our
most sincere wishes that you would have a most meaningful Christmas… to all
those who read the articles, listen to the audible messages and the few videos
that we offer, many blessings throughout the season!
With those greetings, I want
to attach two articles concerning Christmas that we offered a couple years ago.
I hope that they will help you to celebrate the birth of Christ. One comes to
us from the past, well over 200 years ago and the other is from a contemporary,
John Piper. We will finish with the powerful lyrics of Charles Wesley,
expressed in his carol, Hark the Herald
Angels Sing. We begin with George Whitefield (1714-1770), such a
distinguished man of God in church history, who not only had a favorable
opinion of Christmas, but also strongly believed that Christians should
celebrate it.
The
Observation of the Birth of Christ, the Duty of all Christians;
or the True
Way of Keeping Christmas
Matthew 1:21 -
"And she shall bring forth a Son, and then shalt call his Name Jesus: For
he shall save his People from their Sins."
The celebration of the birth
of Christ hath been esteemed a duty by most who profess Christianity. When we
consider the condescension and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, in submitting to
be born of a virgin, a poor sinful creature; and especially as he knew how he
was to be treated in this world; that he was to be despised, scoffed at, and at
last to die a painful, shameful, and ignominious death; that he should be
treated as though he was the off-scouring of all mankind; used, not like the
son of man, and, therefore, not at all like the Son of God; the consideration
of these things should make us to admire the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
was so willing to offer himself as a ransom for the sins of the people, that
when the fullness of time was come, Christ came, made of a woman, made under
the law.
He came according to the
eternal counsel of the Father; he came, not in glory or in splendor, not like
him who brought all salvation with him: no, he was born in a stable, and laid
in a manger; oxen were his companions. O amazing condescension of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to stoop to such low and poor things for our sake. What love is
this, what great and wonderful love was here, that the Son of God should come
into our world in so mean a condition, to deliver us from the sin and misery in
which we were involved by our fall in our first parents! And as all that
proceeded from the springs must be muddy, because the fountain was so, the Lord
Jesus Christ came to take our natures upon him, to die a shameful, a painful,
and an accursed death for our sakes; he died for our sins, and to bring us to
God: he cleansed us by his blood from the guilt of sin, he satisfied for our
imperfections; and now, my brethren, we have access unto him with boldness; he
is a mediator between us and his offended Father.
Christmas is a season which
almost all Christians observe in one way or another. Some keep it as a
religious season. Some keep it as a holiday. But all over the world, wherever
there are Christians, in one way or another Christmas is kept.
Perhaps there is no country in which Christmas is so much observed as it is in England. Christmas holidays, Christmas parties, Christmas family-gatherings, Christmas services in churches, Christmas hymns and carols, Christmas holly and mistletoe,—who has not heard of these things? They are as familiar to English people as anything in their lives. They are among the first things we remember when we were children. Our grandfathers and grandmothers were used to them long before we were born. They have been going on in England for many hundred years. They seem likely to go on as long as the world stands.
But, reader, how many of those who keep Christmas ever consider why Christmas is kept? How many, in their Christmas plans and arrangements, give a thought to Him, without whom there would have been no Christmas at all? How many ever remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is the cause of Christmas ? How many ever reflect that the first intention of Christmas was to remind Christians of Christ's birth and coming into the world? Reader, how is it with you? What do you think of at Christmas?
I do not want to make your Christmas merriment less. I do not wish to spoil your Christmas cheer. I only wish to put things in their right places. I want Christ Himself to be remembered at Christmas! "What think ye of Christ?"
Should Christians celebrate Christmas?
By John Piper December 24, 2007
I sympathize with those who
want to be rigorously and distinctly Christian, who want to be disentangled
from the world and any pagan roots that might lie beneath our celebration of
Christmas, but I don't go that route on this matter because I think there comes
a point where the roots are so far gone that the present meaning doesn't carry
the pagan connotation anymore. I'm more concerned about a new paganism that
gets layered on top of Christian holidays.
Here's the example I use: All
language has roots somewhere. Most of our days of the week—if not all—grew out
of pagan names too. So should we stop using the word "Sunday" because
it may have related to the worship of the sun once upon a time? In modern
English "Sunday" doesn't carry that connotation, and that's the very
nature of language. In a sense, holidays are like chronological language.
Christmas now means that we
mark, in Christian ways, the birth of Jesus Christ. I think the birth, death
and resurrection of Christ are the most important events in human history. Not
to mark them in some way, by way of special celebration, would be folly it
seems to me.
I remember I lived next door
to somebody back in seminary who didn't celebrate birthdays for their kid. The
idea was, partly, that all days were special for their kid. But if all
days are special then it probably means that there are no special days. Yet
some things are so good and precious—like anniversaries, birthdays, and even
deaths—that they are worthy of being marked. How much more the birth and death
of Jesus Christ!
It's really worth the risk,
even if the date of December 25 was chosen because of its proximity to some
kind of pagan festival. Let's just take it, sanctify it, and make the most of
it, because Christ is worthy of being celebrated in his birth. There is no
point in choosing any other date. It won't work.
Hark the herald
angels sing
1739 by Charles Wesley
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
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