Column by Rev. Aaron Long: Why do we Celebrate Christmas?

This might sound like a strange question coming from a pastor, but looking around me, I find myself asking this question every Christmas season, why is the church celebrating what has become a holiday completely devoted to materialism? Everything about Christmas in its modern sense revolves around spending money, whether it is on presents that are way overpriced and most of the time unneeded, to everybody and their brother begging for money because people want to get that last tax right off before January rolls around. We see bigger and bigger light displays chewing up more and more electricity and driving light bill through the roof. Turn on your TV or go on social media and everybody is trying to sell you something. Too much food, too many travel expenses, too much of every worldly pleasure that can be put on a credit card to add to more and more debt.

The thing is, I have discovered that all of this gross materialism doesn’t seem to make any one happier than they were before. For the most part it increases unhappiness, whether in the depression that runs rampant during the holiday season, or the loneliness, or the anxiety about how we can pay for all these bills we are currently racking up. We see children eaten up with greed and envy missing completely out on the point of the season entirely. People are just not happy at what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. The fact is everyone just walks around putting on a big smile while slowly being eaten up inside by all sorts of negative emotions.

Now, you might ask, preacher, how can you talk so ugly about Christmas? Ultimately I have no problem with Christmas, if it focuses on what it is supposed to focus on, that being the incarnation of God on earth in Jesus Christ. I love the idea of sitting in church and singing the Christmas carols of old celebrating the birth of the Christ child, looking towards His second coming, seeing the beautiful tree and manger scene in the front of the church. I love the candles burning in hundreds of hands as we sing silent night at midnight on Christmas Eve with all the other lights cut out.

I think we need to get back to Christmas, we need to get away from all the secular spending and forced frivolity and get back to Jesus. Why do we celebrate Christmas? It’s not for the presents; God has already given us the greatest present we could ever ask for in Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of our sins. It’s not for the food, we are fed in holy communion with the divine food of heaven, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet above. It’s not for the parties, God calls us to gather in worship and the angels, and shepherds and wise men did so long ago.

Now, all this said, you aren’t a bad person for liking parties or presents or even a little materialism. I love ham and cookies and punch as much, if not more than the next guy as seen in my ever-increasing waistline but, and here is the but, you need to make sure that you put first things first. Christmas is primarily about who, Christ. Keep your focus one Him, make it about Peace on earth and goodwill towards men. Spend more time loving and helping others than sating your own carnal desires. In this way you are truly keeping Christ in Christmas.

Merry Christmas y’all.