by April S Fields
Stand fast therefore in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
Good morning Father, I’m ready to talk about this now. I think
I understand what You have been trying to show me. I pray for Your
guidance as I reach for conclusion.
I recognize that Christmas and other traditionally
held Christian celebrations fall under Your permissive will, not
Your perfect will. Arguably it was never Your intention for us to
turn the events of Christ’s birth and death into opportunities
for driving our economy, however, there are many ways in which we
have strayed from Your original plans for us. You look past the
deviations from what should have been, to that which is more important.
We are free in Christ and should never allow this
truth to be set aside by religious fervor. In our quest to reach
higher spiritual levels the steps we build often become walls that
entrap us. First and foremost, when we surrender to Christ, we become
freemen in our servitude.
For he that is called in
the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise
also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 1
Corinthians 7:22
Once we accept Christ we become His temple. We allow
ourselves to experience His supernatural transformation in us. This
means we gladly shed the old man in us, and the old man’s
ways. We lose desire for the corrupt things of the world and are
energized to seek His will and His nature. However, in this new
state, on the mountain peak, it is easy to mistake earnestness as
enlightenment. Instead of asking and waiting for further instructions
we rush forward, full throttle, driven by our own euphoria to perfect
ourselves. Unfortunately, more often than not our zeal not only
does not perfect us, but rather binds us up worse than we were before
we were saved. We are vulnerable then to becoming servants to legalisms
and manmade doctrines.
Paganism was here on earth long before Christianity.
In fact, most of modern civilization, its superstitions, habits
and routines, was founded in ancient pagan cultural rites. And
the wheat grows up with the tares. Some worshipped the
sun and nature. Does this mean Christians cannot appreciate a sunny
day or being outside? Some built alters in groves of trees. Are
Christians therefore banned from entering an orchard or eating the
fruit? To say that the trappings of and traditions we practice as
Christmas and Easter are based in paganism immediately discounts
our freedom in Christ and Christ’s ability to know us personally
and our hearts. The Lord, through His sacrifice, has cleansed us
of our sins. When He touches us, it is we who are made clean, not
He who is made dirty.
No doubt, Christmas has its pagan origins. No doubt
many do not see Jesus in the celebration. But for the Christian
it can be a time to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and to find
ways to demonstrate to others what true Christianity is. It is a
time for family and a reminder of our commission to charity and
good will to others. If the Christmas season is misused as an opportunity
to wallow in base and worldly behavior, then it is the life that
should be re-examined, not the holiday. Having said that, it must
also be noted that freedom in Christ also works for anyone who is
not comfortable with participating in Christmas to choose what is
right for him/her. Therein lies the amazing power of freedom in
Christ. We are no longer bound, but free indeed.
So, Christmas, in my opinion, is neither good nor
bad, neither profitable nor unprofitable. What we make of our lives
on earth, our choices forged by our walk in faith, our willingness
to shine for Christ that determines the treasures we store up for
ourselves in Heaven. The external purging of all accouterments of
the world is a poor and second best offering. The discipline of
our walk with Christ must begin with purged hearts. If our desires
and goals do not align with the freedom granted to us in Christ’s
sacrifice, then nothing else we give up matters nor can any number
of superficial acts of self-sacrifice ever earn us our salvation.
