Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Returning once again to the original purpose for the birth of Christ, we once again look to His people who are saved from their sins. Who are these people? Are they perhaps as it is written here in Acts 11:26 those of us who carry the family name, Christian? I would hope so for my salvation is bound in being one of His people.

I ended yesterday’s devotional with a rather pointed question. What do you make of all this? It is more important to focus on what you make of Christmas, its traditions, its celebration, in context of who you are as a Christian. The world will celebrate Christmas, their holiday as they see fit and nothing will change that. But really, what do you make of it? Isn’t that what really counts?

I say this because as with my relating birthday celebrations yesterday, it is a personal relationship response. Your relationship with your Lord should be the only consideration about if and how you celebrate His birth. There is no written documentation of celebrating the birth of Christ for about 400 years after His death. His death however seems to have been celebrated every year, again because of another holy day, Passover.

I am not saying what to do about this or any Christmas. If you are called by His name, a Christian, then as a family member, perhaps your true heart feelings on these matters is a reflection upon you relationship with the Lord. I think that is important. It is for me anyway.

Christian traditions might be a good place to go next.

Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

How would you feel if you invited friends over to celebrate your first-borns birth and have them bring booze and turn it into a drunken brawl? I would expect, at least I would hope, that you would lose some friend that day. I know I would. My expectations of a celebration of birth with my friends would have everything to do with our relationship. If you value our relationship, do not make it about you.

What does our Holy One see when we celebrate His birth? Is it about Him or is it about what we have made it? Have we corrupted a good thing? Once again, I will not judge but ask you to search your own hearts.

If we look to the selection process, in how December 25^th came to be Christmas then all we have to do is search history.

“The most loudly touted theory about the origins of the Christmas date(s) is that it was borrowed from pagan celebrations. The Romans had their mid-winter Saturnalia festival in late December; barbarian peoples of northern and western Europe kept holidays at similar times. To top it off, in 274 C.E., the Roman emperor Aurelian established a feast of the birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun), on December 25. Christmas, the argument goes, is really a spin-off from these pagan solar festivals. According to this theory, early Christians deliberately chose these dates to encourage the spread of Christmas and Christianity throughout the Roman world: If Christmas looked like a pagan holiday, more pagans would be open to both the holiday and the God whose birth it celebrated.” Quote from biblicalarchaeology.org

If this is true, then the very roots of Christmas began in secular history and that no fault can be found in secular celebration and secular changes. It was, after all, their day of celebration, we might have been said to have hi-jacked their day.

What do you make of all this?