Christmas The Christmas season—especially Christmas Day—is observed essentially all over the world as honoring the birthday of Jesus Christ. However, the actual date of Christs birth—even the year—is still uncertain. Many nations and Christian groups have designated December 25 as the official date, but even this was not done until the 5th century a.d. To some considerable degree, this date was taken over from that of the winter solstice, since no actual record exists as to the true date. Many Christians—most notably the Puritans of 17th century England—have refused to observe Christmas at all, considering it (with considerable evidence) as having originated in pagan festivals associated with the winter solstice. The fact is, of course, that no one yet knows for sure when Jesus birth in Bethlehem really took place, and the existing festivals in late December seemed like a convenient choice. In any case, His birth was not when He actually left heaven. His incarnation, beginning with His miraculous conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary, was when the eternal Word of God first became flesh. In fact, the term Christmas, often defined in modern times as the mass of Christ, really means Christ-sent (the word mass itself was derived from the same Latin word from which we get such words as mission and missionary). Thus, the Son of God was sent on a great mission into the world that He had created thereby to become also the Son of Man, thereafter living in sinless perfection as God intended man to live. He could then redeem lost men and women by the sacrifice of himself. It is then the incarnation, rather than the birth itself, which is the vital message at the season we call Christmas Days to Remember: Devotions for the Holidays Throughout the Year.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 00:48:03 +0000
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