There are quite a few opinions about the origin and practice of Christmas among believers. Most believe it is ok to celebrate Christmas. Others, not so much. The prophet Jeremiah had this to say about false worship:
“Thus said Yahuah, ‘Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be awed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are awed by them. For the laws of these peoples are worthless, for one CUTS A TREE FROM THE FOREST, work for the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They beautify it with silver and gold, they strengthen it with nails and hammers so that it does not topple.’” – Jeremiah 10:2-4
The passage is not specifically about Christmas, but we can learn a lot about His words. Most notably, “Do not learn the way of the nations.” Yahuah is warning us to not worship Him the way that the nations (gentiles) worship their gods. Here are some important Scriptures that warn us about false worship:
- Leviticus 18:3
- Deuteronomy 12:30
- 2 Kings 17:33
- Jeremiah 10:2-4
- 2 Corinthians 6:14-17
- Revelation 18:4
In each of these passages, we are warned not to do as they do in other lands, not to follow after the customs of other nations, not to yoke ourselves with unbelievers or to have fellowship with darkness, and to “come out of Babylon, My people.” In many cases, they are worshipping the one True God, but also carrying out false worship of the gods of other nations. Do you remember the golden calf incident? Aaron and the people were worshipping the Father, just not as He had prescribed!
“And Aaron saw and built a slaughter-place before it. And Aaron called out and said, “Tomorrow is a festival to Yahuah.” – Exodus 32:5
Are we doing the same?
Most of us who call ourselves believers want to worship the One True God. In our hearts, we want to be servants of Yahuah. I don’t know anyone who claims to love God but is secretly desiring to serve Ba’al.
Yet the Messiah Himself warned us about the practice of traditions that don’t come from the Father.
“This people respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men. Forsaking the command of Elohim, you HOLD FAST THE TRADITION OF MEN. And He said to them, ‘Well do you set aside the command of Elohim, in order to GUARD YOUR TRADITION.’” – Mark 7:6-9
Was I HOLDING FAST the tradition of men by insisting that we celebrate Christmas all those years? Was I forsaking the command of Elohim, as Yahusha (Jesus) stated? Was Isaiah talking about me…a person who respected God with his lips but had a heart far from Him?
“Let’s keep Christ in Christmas!”
That seems to be the popular battle cry. But was Christ even supposed to be in Christmas? If you diligently look up the history of the holiday you may be surprised to learn of its origins. Most people recognize by now that He wasn’t born on December 25. S0 why do we guard that tradition?
Although the modern celebration of Christmas typically doesn’t revolve around things like debauchery, drunkenness, fornication, sacrifice, and other ancient pagan rituals of this day (see Saturnalia, Yule, etc.), it also doesn’t celebrate the truth mission of Messiah.
It is a focus on consumerism. It involves Santa Claus, decorating trees, elves, holiday lights, mistletoe, yule logs, and many more practices that evolved originally from Babylon. Yet consumerism is the god of this season.
The Messiah was born indeed…although Christmas is not from the Scriptures.
Often, people tell me that they focus on the Messiah during Christmas. That may be true. But let’s do it His way. If we truly love the Messiah, it should not be that hard to let go of Christmas trees, endless gift-giving and receiving, and other traditions that have nothing to do with our faith.
This is a difficult time for many. Perhaps it would be better to focus on the words of Yahusha (Jesus).
“Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, ‘Yes, Master, You know that I love You.” He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.” – John 21:15
Yahusha the Messiah wants to know if we love Him more than anything else…even more than our manmade traditions and holidays. And this is what the Messiah tells Peter to do to reveal that love:
- Feed My lambs
- Shepherd My sheep
- Feed My sheep
Do we love the Messiah? Maybe we should show it by providing for those who need it. Do we need another pair of shoes or the newest gaming console? Probably not. But His sheep need fed. His lambs need guidance. His sheep need to be built up in the Truth of Yah’s Word.
Should we drop the man-made tradition known as Christmas? Maybe we should start worshipping the Father the way He wants. He already told us which days to observe forever in our generations. There are seven of them, laid out in Scripture and practiced by the Messiah and His apostles.
Christmas is not one of them.
FAITH IN MOTION 