Christmas
23 Nov 2020
As I write, there is a lot of discussion about what the government will do to save Christmas this year. Will the restrictions be lifted, and if so by how much, to enable us to celebrate together with friends and family? Is this a safe and wise thing to do, given the continuing spread of COVID-19?
As Christians, we might have an added concern. It may upset us that this festive season will be different to normal, not simply because of the effect on our socialising, but because we see it as a vital time of year to celebrate and proclaim the birth of Jesus Christ.
What I’m about to write might seem strange coming from a pastor, but I want to encourage us all as we head into December under these unusual conditions. Please don’t get too worked up about Christmas! In fact, take our strange circumstances as an opportunity to think clearly about it as biblical Christians, taking our lead from our reformed predecessors.
I’m not writing this as a scrooge. I enjoy Christmas - and we can and should make the most of the time off, enjoy the food and fun as presents as loving and bountiful provision from our gracious heavenly Father. It will be fun to celebrate it with two small children. We must pray that the government will recognise the need for society to enjoy quality and not just quantity of life and so allow all families to be together over this time.
I’m also not denying the importance of the gospel message, and the wonder and significance of the incarnation. We must take every opportunity the Lord gives us to proclaim this. However, this is so important that God has not commanded us to particularly devote one day a year or one season to focus on it. Like the resurrection, the incarnation should be foundational to our entire lives, and he has given us one day in seven - his Lord’s day, for us to gather and have it proclaimed to us.
We are, of course, free to gather and worship at other times. But historically, reformed Christians have been nervous about the church calendar. It is often true that man made festivals can easily become more important to us than God given commands. This is why you find our spiritual heroes like John Calvin and Charles Spurgeon say things like this -
“When you have turned one day alone for the purpose of worshipping God you have turned it into an idol” (John Calvin, preaching on Christmas Day 1551)
“We find no scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as birthday of the Saviour; and consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority”(Charles Spurgeon, preaching on Christmas Eve 1871)
I include these as examples simply to comfort us that if we find this December in church life difficult because it is different to normal - please don’t grieve unnecessarily. God does not need a “normal” Christmas either to build us up as believers or to take his gospel message out. Yes, we are to take every opportunity - but there are far more opportunities than Christmas. Sometimes we even discover that our more historically informed friends and neighbours are sceptical at our focus on a particular time of year.
While we are free to meet and worship the Lord on 25th December, as on any other day of the year, we are not bound by God to do so (in the same way as we are on His day) - and so, given the extreme restrictions we are likely to still be under this month, it makes sense to do something virtually rather than in person.
There is, however, much to lament as we come to the close of this strange year. It is far worse that churches have been closed on the Lord’s day and the communion table shut for many months, than any effect COVID-19 will have on Christmas. Let’s channel our sadness and frustration into pleading with the Lord that this will never happen again.
It is tragic that our friends and neighbours live in God’s world as his image bearers without thanking and glorifying Jesus Christ - and without worshipping him together with his people on His day every week. This is far worse than the fact that they do not celebrate Christmas in what we may consider as being “the right way”.