This year the day we celebrate Christmas, December 25, falls on a Sunday. To me, it is a blessing to celebrate the birth of our Savior on the day of the week we set aside to worship him. Church will be Sacrament meeting only, so to be able to attend Sacrament meeting and worship our Savior and partake of the sacrament on Christmas is a wonderful blessing. Especially in this commercialized world we live in. Where most people think of Santa Claus instead of Christ when they think of Christmas. Of all the days to attend church, it would be Christmas.
It makes me sad when Christmas is reduced to Santa Claus and presents -- where people are more concerned with what they will get on Christmas morning rather than what they can give. And especially with Christmas falling on a Sunday -- how many people will skip church because it interferes with opening presents? When the entire reason for Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birth and worship him. The saddest part of Christmas though is people who don't even believe in Christ. Especially those who once believed and now don't. It breaks my heart.
A few weeks ago I started listening again to "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage. It is an inspired work by one of the Lord's chosen apostles published 100 years ago, in 1915. It is a very thorough book written about Jesus Christ. Not many people know the actual birthdate of our Savior. So I took the time to locate this excerpt from Chapter 8 of "Jesus the Christ":
"As to the season of the year in which Christ was born, there is among the learned as great a diversity of opinion as that relating to the year itself. It is claimed by many Biblical scholars that December 25th, the day celebrated in Christendom as Christmas, cannot be the correct date. We believe April 6th to be the birthday of Jesus Christ as indicated in a revelation of the present dispensation already cited, in which that day is made without qualification the completion of the one thousand eight hundred and thirtieth year since the coming of the Lord in the flesh. This acceptance is admittedly based on faith in modern revelation, and in no wise is set forth as the result of chronological research or analysis. We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1."Isn't modern revelation wonderful? I feel so blessed to belong to the Lord's true church and have access to continuing revelation through prophets and apostles.
The fact that Christ's birth is not celebrated on his actual birthday is irrelevant to me. But the fact that it is celebrated at all is. Fittingly, Christmas and Easter are my favorite holidays. Both centered on Christ. My favorite part about Christmas and Easter are the songs about Christ's birth and resurrection.
Even though Christmas is commercialized, the fact that many nonbelievers still celebrate Christmas is a good thing. Even if it is only for tradition or to fit in. People still think more about Christ during this season as they sing and listen to songs about His birth and reflect on the reason we celebrate Christmas. That's always a good thing.
So, regardless of your level of faith in Christ, here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
That's my two cents.
Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI just heard it said in the Christmas Devotional that there would be no Christmas, if there had been no Easter. We would not be celebrating Christ's birth, if not for the miracle of the atonement and resurrection! The greatest gifts come to us because of our Savior, Jesus Christ.