Was the First Christmas Just a Nice Story?

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" cries out Charlie Brown in a classic Christmas special scene. "Sure," responds his friend Linus, "I can tell you what Christmas is all about." Linus takes center stage, and tells Charlie Brown and everyone present the story of the first Christmas. He recites the gospel of Luke in chapter 2 from verses 8 to 14:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

From the first time Linus said these words on national television, audiences have admired this scene. It's been embraced by Christians, but also non-believers. Some of those who are anti-Christ have said they admire this scene, because it tells a nice story about how people should be kind to each other. It's not a story about worshiping Jesus. It is instead about generosity, and how people helped each other out. So, is that all the story of the first Christmas is? Is it just a nice story?

If the first Christmas is just a "nice" story, then reading it
is just as useful as reading other "nice" stories about
Santa, reindeer and presents (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Taking a look at the Christmas story, as it's written in Luke chapter 2, there are a handful of central characters. There is the young woman named Mary who gives birth to a baby named Jesus. There's also the shepherds who live just outside of the town where Mary and Jesus are, and there's also the angels who tell the shepherds about Jesus' birth. If this story is just a nice story about people helping each other, then these characters (or at least one of these characters) should demonstrate an observable kindness to someone else, or exhibit an act of generosity from which readers are supposed to learn.

Based on Luke chapter 2 from verses 8 to 14, there doesn't appear to be any moment where the characters do anything apparently kind. At face value, the story revolves around shepherds listening to a message from angels about a pregnant woman who gave birth. There's no display of charitable giving in that. Well, what if the scope of our text was widened to Luke chapter 2 from verses 1 through 20? Now, there's even less signs of apparent kindness. There's an inconsiderate king who forces his subjects to move hundreds of miles, for the sake of one census (1-2). There's a whole town of people unable to let a pregnant woman stay somewhere else other than a place for animals (7). Even the shepherds, after they receive the angels' message, go into town, find the baby, and then promptly go away (17). Considering the shepherds didn't give anything to Mary or Jesus (they didn't even stay to change a diaper), it doesn't look like they helped her out. Plainly looking at this "nice" story, it doesn't seem to be about kindness or generosity. Actually, it looks like it's about nothing at all.

Nativity sets represent a condensed telling of the Christmas
story. To unbelievers who put them up Paul might say, they are 
"objects of worship...to an unknown god. So [unbelievers]
are ignorant of the very thing [they] worship," (Acts 17:23).

If this story really is what Christmas is all about, then what is this story all about?

This story is about Jesus. Everything written in Luke chapter 2 centers around Him, who He is and how the characters respond to Him. Before Jesus is born, the writer addresses that His earthly father is from "the house and line of David," meaning Jesus is of a royal line, even though His family is clearly not treated like royalty (4). When the shepherds are told about Jesus' birth, the angels say they have brought, "good news that will cause great joy for all the people," (10). This news is that a savior has been born; one who is the Lord (11). Then the angels praised God, and said there would be peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests (14). The shepherds hurry to see their savior and their Lord (16), and after they see Him, "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them," (17-18). Mary considers the shepherds' response to her newborn to be worthy of treasuring (19), and all the shepherds return to their field, "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told," (20).

The events in Luke are not just a story, but are history.
In the same way Jesus was born just as the shepherds
were told, (Luke 2:20), Jesus lived just as the
gospel writers have told (Luke 1:1-4).

Everything that happens in this story occurs, because Jesus is born. At first glance it seems rather odd how everyone reacts to the birth of an infant who cannot do anything for them. A clearer focus, though, reveals this child is described as the Lord, and our characters in this story "know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other," (Deuteronomy 4:35). This means Jesus is God. Not only this, but He is also the Savior, and everyone whom He loves will have peace (Luke 2:11,14). He came to rescue people as their benevolent king from heaven (John 18:36), but many people did not receive Him (John 1:11). These people did not believe what was said of Him, "yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God," (John 1:12). Those who believe in God are not blind to who Jesus is, for God opens His children's eyes to see Him clearly (Luke 24:31). Only those with opened eyes know that the first Christmas tells of when "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. [Those who believe] have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth," (John 1:14).

The Christmas story is not a "nice" story, but a powerful story! It is about Jesus, the one who came to save those who made no room for Him. He came to the earth out of more than just generosity and kindness, for He came out of grace and peace. Those who know Him have seen His glory and are filled with overwhelming joy. They will praise God in a cold dark night and for the rest of their days.

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Do you hear the sound?

A thousand angels are singing out

To God Almighty we're bowing down

And that's what Christmas is all about!

Light me up and I'll show you the way

Every year can't wait for Christmas day

Light me up, I finally figured out

What Christmas is all about!

- Owl City

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
• Owl City: Light of Christmas

Isaiah 7:14 (Immanuel is God with Us)

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

God is with us! "Really?" some of my readers might say. "Have you looked around? Would God really be here and let this kind of stuff happen? Is God asleep, then? Is God dead?" God is with us! "And that's great, but..." some of my other readers might say. "I'm glad God's here, but I can't just go and visit Him, and it's really hard to hear Him sometimes. Couldn't He be here stronger? Am I keeping Him away?" God is with us! "Amen," the Bible says.

"God with us" is proclaimed throughout Scripture. The prophet Isaiah wrote to the city of David, Bethlehem, that God was with them. He wrote, "the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel," (Isaiah 7:14). So, God's sign to prove His promise appeared on the first Christmas night. Just as Isaiah prophesied a virgin woman did give birth to a son (Luke 2:7), and He was called Immanuel which means "God with us." This baby boy named Jesus grew up to become a man, and after He accomplished everything He wanted to do with His life on earth (John 19:30), He lifted Himself up into heaven (Acts 1:9). So the one called Immanuel is no longer here on earth, but this does not mean that God is not with us. Isaiah gave the prophecy about Immanuel so the people of Bethlehem would know God is with them, and that promise was sealed by the sign of a virgin birth. The promise, though, was true, even before the virgin gave birth.

God lived among His people as a baby, who was
born in a real stable and laid in a real manger (Luke 2:7).
He was here on earth as someone who could be
held and fed, and He's still here as Immanuel.

Before Isaiah was born, God has said He is with us to many of His followers. One of these followers was a leader named Joshua whom God told, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go," (Joshua 1:9). Another of God's chosen was a great king named David who wrote by the power of the Holy Spirit, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me," (Psalm 23:6). There was also a prophet named Zephaniah who wrote to the people of Israel, "The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm," (Zephaniah 3:15). He even further wrote, "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing,” (Zephaniah 3:17). God has always been with us.

Even when the waters won't stop rising

Even when I'm caught in the dead of a night

I know, No matter how it ends

You're with me even then

- Micah Tyler

God is present in everyone's life, for his hand has written all the people's days before any one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). His Spirit is present in the hearts of His followers, for they are His holy dwelling place and He lives in their midst (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Lord says to His obedient servants, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand," (Isaiah 41:10). Indeed God will be with His people "always, to the very end of the age," (Matthew 28:20).

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from
Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if
I make my bed in the depths, You are there," (Psalm 139:7-8).

Yes, God is with us; no matter how anyone may respond to this. If anyone looks around they will see God's fingerprint on all of creation (Revelation 4:11). He has not abandoned the world (Hebrews 1:3), but is using all of the chaos within it to bring about goodness for His people (Romans 8:28). He is not asleep, and He is not dead (Psalms 121:4). It is for the good of His followers that no one can physically visit Him on earth, because if He remained here in flesh His Spirit would never come (John 16:7). He continues to speak to us through His word in the Bible (Hebrews 4:12), and He does not need to give us new messages as our days progress (2 Timothy 3:17, Hebrews 1:2). His Spirit is as strong in our lives as He has ordained to be so (1 Corinthians 12:11). There is nothing any of His chosen people can do to lessen His Spirit or remove themselves from God's presence (Romans 8:38-39). We know God is with us and will always be, for the virgin conceived and gave birth to a son, and we still call Him Immanuel.

Can you feel your heart begin to race?

Can you see the tide begin to change?

With all of our futures rearranged

The world will never be the same

For God is with us

Oh, God is with us!

- for KING & COUNTRY

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Open Bible Info: God is with Us
• Micah Tyler: Even Then
• for KING & COUNTRY: For God is With Us

Should Christians say "Happy Holidays"

Picture this, you're at a store in December and the cashier says to you, "Happy holidays." There are a lot of different ways you could react to this seasonal salutation, but you're not likely to act surprised. Saying "happy holidays" is common these days, especially in stores, on the radio or over social media. What would happen, though, if this exchange between you and the cashier took place at a Christian book store? How about if you heard "happy holidays" on Christian radio? How would you react if you heard "happy holidays" at church...from the pastor? Now, that might be surprising. It may even raise this question: Should Christians say "happy holidays"?

To be fair, "happy holidays" rolls off one's tongue a little bit easier than the cramming of consonants that is "merry Christmas." Just because something is easy, though, doesn't necessarily mean it's worth doing. It's easy for someone to ignore Jesus and keep the course of their life, but doing so would be the greatest mistake they could make (Luke 9:57-62). There's also a lot of joy that can come from overcoming a difficult obstacle. Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God," (Mark 10:25). Despite this, Christians continue to preach to the greedy, knowing Jesus did "not come to call the righteous, but sinners," (Mark 2:17). Think about how audiences still cheer when rich man Ebenezer Scrooge is born again on Christmas day (yes, it's a fictional example, but it's also festive). So, just because "happy holidays" is less of a tongue tier than "merry Christmas," doesn't mean it's a better seasonal salutation.

Some people dislike hearing "merry Christmas," and that might
be because the world hates Christ (John 15:18). Now, Christians
should not be ashamed to speak Christ (Romans 1:16), and
should also be gentle with their words (Galatians 5:22-23).

Now, what if a Christian said "happy holidays," and truly meant to wish that others have enjoyable holidays, more than just the big one on December 25th? That would be interesting, but it would not go against Biblical precedent. Paul wrote to Christians who were being ridiculed for celebrating certain Jewish and Gentilic festivals saying, "do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day," (Colossians 2:16). It wasn't morally wrong for one of the Christians in Colossi to celebrate Passover and Easter. It's not disobedient to God for anyone to take part in Christmas or its neighboring festivities (in fact celebrating Saint Lucia's Day on December 13th has some Biblical value). If a Christian were to truly wish another person "happy holidays," doing so would not be a sin.

Even though Christians can say "happy holidays," this doesn't mean Christians should say it. Christians can certainly say, "'I have the right to do anything,” but not everything is beneficial," (1 Corinthians 10:23). A big reason Christians may want to avoid saying "happy holidays" is because it implies that all celebrations in December have equal value. It's rather disingenuous for a Christian to imply that embracing the birth of their savior has as much merit as ringing in the calendar new year. If someone had a birthday on Valentine's day, then it wouldn't be wrong on February 14th to wish them "fun festivities." Wishing them that alone, though, is inconsiderate, since the obvious celebration that matters more to them was not acknowledged. Here in December, the value behind Christmas obviously matters more than other winter holidays, and it definitely should for Christians. Christmas reminds people of the Gospel message, while all other winter celebrations center around lesser things. Honoring Jesus is more important than honoring something else, and (let's all face it) Jesus is the reason for the season.

Jesus is the reason

We celebrate the season

Christmas is the birth of our King

And, Christmas isn't Christmas

Without the love of Jesus

He is the reason that we sing

- Tom Brooks

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Got Questions: War on Christmas
• Tom Brooks: Super Duper Christmas

Matthew 1:21 (Jesus is Savior)

Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

Have you noticed how many Christmas stories involve "saving"? When it comes to Christmas, someone or something is nearly always in crisis. People are in peril and need to be rescued by a brave superhero or a wild cop just before December 25th. There's also stories where the holiday itself is in danger, until some elf, toy, girl, or boy steps in and saves Christmas. Most of these stories even have the words "save Christmas" in their name (even I wrote such a story). There's something about "saving" and Christmas that go hand-in-hand. In fact this is the case with the first Christmas story ever told.

Long ago in the town of Bethlehem there lived a carpenter named Joseph. He was betrothed to a young woman named Mary, and their pledge to each other was so strong it was as if they were already married. Before they could wed, Mary was discovered to be pregnant. She told Joseph that another man was not the cause for this, but it was by the power of the Holy Spirit that she conceived a child. Joseph was in a tight position. Because he understood the letter of God's law, he was concerned what might happen to his wife, if his neighbors thought Mary was unfaithful. Joseph was also faithful to the spirit of God's law and did not want to disgrace Mary in her hometown. So, Joseph decided it would be best for him to divorce his wife, but keep the matter private. After he considered this, an angel appeared to him. The angel said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins,” (Matthew 1:20-21). Moved by the angel's words, Joseph took Mary to be his wife. The two of them were formally married after Mary's child was born, and Joseph named the child Jesus.

And as he held the Savior in his arms

He must have thought

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade

Why Him with all the rulers in the world

Why here inside this stable filled with hay

Why her, she's just an ordinary girl

Now I'm not one to second guess

What angels have to say

But this is such a strange way 

to save the world

- 4Him

This is the story of Jesus Christ's birth, according to the Gospel of Matthew. It's only seven verses long, which is a lot shorter than its counterpart in the Gospel of Luke. Just because it's short, though, does not mean it holds any less value. After all, this little part of the Bible holds a big piece of knowledge that can shape our understanding of the rest of the Gospel. In this text we learn the origins of Jesus' name.

The name "Jesus" in Greek is Ἰησοῦς (Iésous). According to the footnotes for Matthew 1:21, "Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves." The name "Joshua" is Hebrew and it is יְהוֹשׁ֫וּעַ (Yehoshua). In the Old Testament there is a man named Joshua who became the leader of God's people (Joshua 1:1-2). He followed God's commands and saved God's people from their enemies time and time again (Joshua 6:2, 8:1, 10:8, 11:12). Joshua lived up to his name proving that the Lord saves. Jesus, too, would do the same. He would be the savior of the world given at Christmas.

Here they are, the world's own self-made saviors of Christmas,
and each one of them is an imperfect weak imitation
of the one whose name is "Savior."

Jesus was born on Christmas; not to save the holiday but to make the holiday. The reason He came was to save His people, by giving His life for them, for He came "to give His life as a ransom for many,” (Mark 10:45). When Jesus was an adult, He took the wrongdoings of the world, and paid the price for them, as if He had been the one to commit them (1 John 2:2). He never sinned once in His life, but He bore God's anger against the earth's sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), an anger so strong that it crushed Jesus (Isaiah 53:10). This way in which Jesus saved the world was foretold in the Old Testament, long before He was born. One of Jesus' loyal followers named Peter related Jesus' saving work back to several Old Testament texts. He wrote this about his friend Jesus in the book of 1 Peter in chapter 2 from verses 24 to 25:

“He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

When Jesus was born, He was wrapped in cloth, (Luke 2:7), but
after He saved the world from the power of sin, He took off His
cloth wrappings and laid them aside (John 20:6-7), for
He had done what He was born to do (Matthew 18:11).

Because Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and raised by a father named Joseph, He was able to grow up and save God's chosen people from their sin. Like a shepherd gathers a scattered crowd of sheep or a parent puts their kid's toys back in the box, Jesus found those who were lost from God and brought them back to Him. He still does this today, for just as Peter said, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," (Acts 2:21). The only one who can truly save people is Jesus. He is the reason why Christmas will always be about saving.

Don't You know that you are the reason

That He came, oh, He came to save us

When He gave His life for us, He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave

Everything that He had, He gave

To show us the reason to live

- Avalon

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• 4Him: Strange Way to Save the World
• Bible Hub: Strong's Greek Jesus
• Bible Hub: Strong's Hebrew Joshua
• Avalon: We are the Reason