The Christ of Christmas
Published Dec 21, 2019 12:00 am
GENTLE BREEZE
By NELLY FAVIS VILLAFUERTE
Nelly Favis Villafuerte
Would Christmas be Christmas without the colorful trimmings and joyous festivities? Would Christmas be the same without Christmas trees, without bright Christmas lanterns, without the delicious goodies and beautiful gifts, .without the cards and without ole’ Santa Claus? Certainly, without these hoopla, it is not Christmas in the conventional sense.
Amidst all the outer splendor and sparkle of Christmas, let me pose a question: Is Christ of Christmas in our hearts during the Yuletide season?
The Christmas story centers on the birth of Christ In Luke 2:11 we find the following passage: “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Today, how many people have knowledge of Christ beyond the stories of His birth in a manger in Bethlehem? How many of us have grown so sentimental about the baby that in our minds He has not grown up? How many of us have missed the whole point of Christmas by losing its spiritual significance?
What is the origin of the word “Christmas” ? The word comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse (Christ’s Mass) and was first used in the eleventh century. Christ in Greek is Christos which means the anointed one, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiah (Messiah). The word Christmas is formed by the word Christ plus Mass which means a mass of religious services to celebrate the birth of Christ. In German the word is Weimacht. The Romance language use forms derived from the Latin Dies natalis Domini. In Italian , it is Il Natale; in Spanish, it is La Navidad. The French Noel probably is derived from the Latin natalis.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Is this really the day when Jesus Christ was born? December 25th, as the annual feast commemorating the birth of Christ, was determined by the church in Rome after Constantine I (Constantine the Great) came to power as the first “Christian” emperor of Rome. The date was possibly about AD 320 or 353. As to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, there is a controversy whether he was really converted as a Christian in the Biblical sense of the word considering that after his so-called conversion, he committed several murders, including the murder of his own wife Fausta and his son Crispus.
In Matthew 2:1 it is recorded that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod. We find also in Luke 2:8 that there were “shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” There is no mention in the Holy Bible that Jesus Christ was born in the month of December. It is very unlikely that the shepherds in Judea would have been in the open field in one December night considering it is winter time.
How then was December 25th chosen as the nativity date? Is it a coincidence that the winter festival then celebrated throughout the Roman and Greek worlds in honor of the pagan sun god (Sol) falls on December 25th? The pagan religious cult was Mithraism and the Mithraic feast of the sun-god (natalis solis invicti) was a noisy Roman affair.
In adopting the month of December in commemorating the birth of Christ, the day of the pagan observance of the event (winter solstice) became a day for adoring Christ. Coincidence?
By the end of the fourth century, the Christian world was celebrating Christmas on December 25th with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox churches where Christmas is celebrated on January 6, and by the Armenian church where Christmas is celebrated on January 19.
Santa Claus, the white-bearded, plump and jolly character with the reindeer has always been associated with gift-giving, especially by small children. Many people in fact have a more vivid picture of Santa Claus as the gift-giver than any other person. They forget that God was the first gift-giver. John 3:16 in clear and simple terms says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Despite this God’s gift to man, many cannot yet adjust their lives according to the will of God as found in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. There is a wide gap between reading or listening to the Word of God and living it. James 1:22-24 says: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
At one time, Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied. . . this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven (Matthew 16:13, 16, 17).
Who is Jesus? The word Jesus means Savior (Matthew 1:21) and in the Hebrew translation, it is the equivalent of the name Joshua. History, literature, and theology record different descriptions about Jesus, the central figure in the Christmas festivities. One of the most eloquent testimonies about Jesus written by an unknown writer is reproduced hereunder.
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place of his birth. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
“He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today, he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress.
“All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much that One Solitary Life.”
Have a blessed Christmas!
(Part 3 of An overview of bible prophecy will appear on January 5, 2020).
This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.
Be joyful and forgiving!
(Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)
Nelly Favis Villafuerte
Would Christmas be Christmas without the colorful trimmings and joyous festivities? Would Christmas be the same without Christmas trees, without bright Christmas lanterns, without the delicious goodies and beautiful gifts, .without the cards and without ole’ Santa Claus? Certainly, without these hoopla, it is not Christmas in the conventional sense.
Amidst all the outer splendor and sparkle of Christmas, let me pose a question: Is Christ of Christmas in our hearts during the Yuletide season?
The Christmas story centers on the birth of Christ In Luke 2:11 we find the following passage: “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Today, how many people have knowledge of Christ beyond the stories of His birth in a manger in Bethlehem? How many of us have grown so sentimental about the baby that in our minds He has not grown up? How many of us have missed the whole point of Christmas by losing its spiritual significance?
What is the origin of the word “Christmas” ? The word comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse (Christ’s Mass) and was first used in the eleventh century. Christ in Greek is Christos which means the anointed one, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiah (Messiah). The word Christmas is formed by the word Christ plus Mass which means a mass of religious services to celebrate the birth of Christ. In German the word is Weimacht. The Romance language use forms derived from the Latin Dies natalis Domini. In Italian , it is Il Natale; in Spanish, it is La Navidad. The French Noel probably is derived from the Latin natalis.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Is this really the day when Jesus Christ was born? December 25th, as the annual feast commemorating the birth of Christ, was determined by the church in Rome after Constantine I (Constantine the Great) came to power as the first “Christian” emperor of Rome. The date was possibly about AD 320 or 353. As to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, there is a controversy whether he was really converted as a Christian in the Biblical sense of the word considering that after his so-called conversion, he committed several murders, including the murder of his own wife Fausta and his son Crispus.
In Matthew 2:1 it is recorded that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod. We find also in Luke 2:8 that there were “shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” There is no mention in the Holy Bible that Jesus Christ was born in the month of December. It is very unlikely that the shepherds in Judea would have been in the open field in one December night considering it is winter time.
How then was December 25th chosen as the nativity date? Is it a coincidence that the winter festival then celebrated throughout the Roman and Greek worlds in honor of the pagan sun god (Sol) falls on December 25th? The pagan religious cult was Mithraism and the Mithraic feast of the sun-god (natalis solis invicti) was a noisy Roman affair.
In adopting the month of December in commemorating the birth of Christ, the day of the pagan observance of the event (winter solstice) became a day for adoring Christ. Coincidence?
By the end of the fourth century, the Christian world was celebrating Christmas on December 25th with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox churches where Christmas is celebrated on January 6, and by the Armenian church where Christmas is celebrated on January 19.
Santa Claus, the white-bearded, plump and jolly character with the reindeer has always been associated with gift-giving, especially by small children. Many people in fact have a more vivid picture of Santa Claus as the gift-giver than any other person. They forget that God was the first gift-giver. John 3:16 in clear and simple terms says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Despite this God’s gift to man, many cannot yet adjust their lives according to the will of God as found in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. There is a wide gap between reading or listening to the Word of God and living it. James 1:22-24 says: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
At one time, Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied. . . this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven (Matthew 16:13, 16, 17).
Who is Jesus? The word Jesus means Savior (Matthew 1:21) and in the Hebrew translation, it is the equivalent of the name Joshua. History, literature, and theology record different descriptions about Jesus, the central figure in the Christmas festivities. One of the most eloquent testimonies about Jesus written by an unknown writer is reproduced hereunder.
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place of his birth. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
“He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today, he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress.
“All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much that One Solitary Life.”
Have a blessed Christmas!
(Part 3 of An overview of bible prophecy will appear on January 5, 2020).
This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.
Be joyful and forgiving!
(Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)