The Meaning of Christmas: Misled by the Bible?

It is December 23rd -- "Christmas Eve Eve," as my daughter likes to call it -- and I find myself pondering the meaning of Christmas.  Frankly I think many of us have been misled.  There are many commonly held misconceptions when it comes to the traditional Christmas story, and we have popular cultural representations to blame for most of these.  Some examples:

1. Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem, right?  Maybe.  The Bible, however, says nothing about a Donkey or any other conveyance.  Most scholars believe that since beasts of burden would have been luxury items for the families of Nazareth, it was likely that Mary walked.  But we all have the image of her on a donkey.  
2. How many Wise Men were there?  Three?  Maybe.  We are told that there were three gifts, but the Bible makes no mention of the number of wise men.  We just assume it was a one:one gift:Magi ratio.  
3. And speaking of Wise Men, they showed up at the stable shortly after the shepherds, right?  Nope.  A careful reading of Scripture shows that they visited the infant Jesus at a house, some time after his birth.  Perhaps even several months or a couple of years afterward, which is why Herod ordered the killing of all male children under the age of two, once he learned from the Magi exactly when the Star had first appeared.  

We see these images over and over until we assume they are true elements of the Christmas Story, but they simply are not.  Harmless misconceptions, to be sure, but misconceptions nonetheless.

However, some of our misconceptions are less than harmless.  One misconception in particular has caused thousands if not millions of people around the world, generation after generation, to completely miss the true meaning of Christmas, the life and death meaning of Christmas.  There are two major camps when it comes to answering the question, "What is the meaning of Christmas?": (1) Christians, and (2) non-Christians who celebrate Christmas.  For my purposes today I'm going to ignore those who like to point out things like pagan origins and symbolism, because those folks are only interested in undermining Christmas rather than celebrating it.  

The Meaning of Christmas For Christians

For Christians, Christmas is the celebration and commemoration of the birth of the infant Jesus, the Christ Child, who would one day die to save us from our sins.  Emmanuel: "God with us."  God, the Father, sending His only Son down to us, the King of Kings being born in the humblest of circumstances so that one day through Him, man's relationship with God can be restored and we can live with God eternally as He intended from the dawn of creation.  It's a love story of God embarking upon a rescue mission in disguise, behind enemy lines, in the dark of night all to rescue His wayward Bride.  Christmas is Hope.  Hope for an eternal future with God.  Hope for salvation from the sinful nature that separates us from The Father.  

The Meaning of Christmas For non-Christians who still celebrate Christmas 

For non-Christians who still celebrate Christmas some of these same elements still embody the meaning of Christmas, but in a much more vague and illusive form.  Christmas is still hope, although hope for what exactly is not clear.  Christmas is love, and family, and friends.  God's gift to us in His Son echoes even in the secular celebration, as Christmas is the season of giving, both to those in need and to family and loved ones.  Christmas also means Peace.  Peace and goodwill to all men.

It is in this last supposed meaning of Christmas that we have been misled: "peace and goodwill to all men."  Where does this come from?  Most of us know -- if not from our own Bible reading, then from Linus' words to Charlie Brown -- that it's what the angels said to the shepherds in the fields the night of Christ's birth.  We've come to accept these words as the "true meaning of Christmas."  Peace and goodwill for everyone.  But we've been misled.  We've been misled by, of all things, the Bible itself.  Specifically the King James translation of the Bible.

Luke 2:14 in the King James reads "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  For hundreds of years this was the only English translation of the Bible, and consequently it became the very core of the Christmas message for generation after generation of Christian and non-Christian alike.  Unfortunately the scholars employed by King James to translate the Bible from Latin to English missed some subtle but vitally important meaning in the angels' words to the shepherds.

The word that the King James version translates as "goodwill" is an ancient Greek word, "eudokia."  This word does indeed imply goodwill; however, its root words also convey a very particular type of goodwill intended for those who possess a good reputation with the one bestowing the good will; those whom the giver holds in good favor or esteem.  This is why virtually every Bible translation undertaken since the King James version has translated Luke 2:14 as "...on earth peace, goodwill among men with whom He is pleased, or alternatively "...goodwill to men upon whom His favor rests."  Unfortunately these translations are not well known outside of the Church, and even then only to those Believers and congregations that use translations other than the King James.  Consequently many miss an important element of the true meaning of Christmas.

The goodwill of God that we celebrate at Christmas time is not a generic blanket of goodwill available for everyone without qualification.  God loves the entire world, to be sure (John 3:16).  God the Father desires that everyone would benefit from the gift of His Son (2 Peter 3:9); however, in order to receive the benefits of the greatest of all gifts, one must be desiring and seeking to return to God and His favor.  Those not desiring to restore their relationship with a Holy God cannot benefit from the gift of God's Son, given by the Father for the very purpose of restoring that relationship.

The meaning of Christmas is twofold.  It is not simply God's expression of His desire to bestow peace and goodwill to all of us, but it is also the very means and instructions as to how we can enter in to that Divine peace and goodwill.  As Christ Himself told his disciples 33 years later, He is not only the Truth and the Life.  He is the Way! (John 14:6).

One of my favorite shows as a kid was the Greatest American Hero.  Many of you over the age of 35 will remember this show.  It's the story of Ralph Hinkley, a high-school teacher who is given a "super suit" by benevolent aliens from outer space who want to help save us earthlings from ourselves.  The suit grants Hinkley super-human powers, but unfortunately the aliens are scared off by government agents before they can instruct Hinkley on how to use the suit, and he loses the instruction manual.  Ralph's efforts to fight evil while learning how the suit works "on the job" are pure TV sci-fi/comedy gold.  At least they were to me when I was eight.

What's my point?  Too many of us are like Ralph Hinkley.  We're aware that God has given us a Gift in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that this gift is somehow connected with hope, peace, and goodwill from God, Himself.  But the instructions have been lost.  Luke 2:14, when properly translated and understood, serves as the preface of God's instructions.  In that verse and those preceding, the angels tell us two things.  First we hear that God has given a gift to ALL men, namely His Son, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  Then we learn that in this gift are the keys to God's goodwill, a goodwill He longs for us to enjoy once again.  The key is that we are to be men and women upon whom God's favor rests, with whom He is pleased.  But through poor translation we've lost the second part.  We've lost the key.

How do we become such men and women?  How do we find God's favor?  How do we please Him?  That, my brothers and sisters, is where the rest of the instruction manual comes in to play.  In Jeremiah 29:13 God tells us through His prophet that "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Later in Hebrews 11:6 we learn that God "...rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Seek God in His Word, the Bible, and seek Him in earnest prayer.  Cry out to God, and He promises to hear and come running.  Psalm 34:17 and 145:19 both assure us that when we choose to acknowledge God and our position in relation to Him (called "fearing" the Lord, or respecting Him), and when we cry out to Him, He hears, He responds, and He restores.  God longs to save those who cry out to Him.  These are the men and women "upon whom His favor rests."

I think if we are honest with ourselves, we know we need the promises of Christmas in our lives.  Life can seem hopeless, without meaning.  We live in a world that often seems to have little goodwill for anyone.  As people, we rarely have goodwill for one another.  This was never God's ultimate plan for us.  God longs to restore your hope.  He wants to BE your hope.  He wants to give you peace, a peace between you and Himself, but also the peace that comes from knowing that there is a God who is good, and who loves you, and who is in control.  He longs to draw us into His goodwill that you might receive the gift of His Son.  He longs to fill you so full of His love for you, that you cannot help but overflow with love for others and recognize the love others have for you.  He longs to give you a joy that is impervious to your circumstances because it is based on something that never changes: God's love for you.

My prayer for us all this Christmas season is that we would rediscover God's instruction manual, wherein lies the true meaning of Christmas.  I pray we would come to understand the meaning in the words the angels brought to the shepherds two thousand years ago: Earnestly seek God -- cry out to Him -- that you might regain His favor and goodwill.  Then the promise of the Christ Child can be your own: the hope of salvation and an end of enmity between God and Man.  The restoration of a Bride to her Groom, of children to their Father.  

If it's been a while since you talked to God, I would encourage you to lift a prayer to Him this Christmas.  Approach Him with honesty and share with him what's on your heart.  1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  Then spend some time quietly in His presence.  He will respond.

If it's been a while since you read God's Word, the Bible -- or perhaps you never have -- then maybe this Christmas holiday would be a good time to do that, either alone with God as you have some quiet time, or with your family as you gather together.  The Gospel of John or the Book of Romans are great places to start, as well as the Christmas story in Luke 2 and Matthew 1.  Of course I recommend that you choose a translation other than the King James. ;)  Then find a Christian friend or family member you trust to help guide you further on your journey.  If you can't think of anyone who fits the bill, drop me a line at lee.mayhew@yahoo.com.  I'd be happy to pray with you and for you, answer any questions you may have, and help you any way that I can.

May God bless you and yours this Christmas and always!

He Alone Is Worthy

Apparently my blog posts are turning out to be a semi-annual event. :)  Oh, well...life is busy, what can I say?  Here's the second (and likely last) post for 2013:

I was pretty upset at church this past Sunday.  Let's face it, for most Christ-followers, it's pretty easy to find something at church to get upset about.  Our churches are institutions run by imperfect people, so they will inevitably be rife with imperfections themselves.  If I'm going to attend church and have it be a positive experience, then I have to intentionally make it about God, and not me or other people.  God never changes, and I am able to -- and should -- worship Him anywhere.  With that perspective, going to church is not only easier, but far more enjoyable and fulfilling.  But I digress...

I was upset this Sunday.  As we took our seats (3rd row from the front, just off center, in a sanctuary designed to seat about 500) about 10 minutes before the service was set to start, the folks sitting right behind us were chatting away enthusiastically.  In fact the entire sanctuary was full of the gentle murmur of friendly conversation, sprinkled with a laugh or a squealing child here and there.  Of course this all died down and then went completely silent as the worship leader greeted everyone and then invited the congregation to join him in an opening prayer.  At least it would have been completely silent, if only the folks behind us had stopped their conversation, but they didn't.  They kept chatting away as everyone around them bowed their heads and closed their eyes in prayer.

The prayer finished, and the first worship song began.  It was a powerful, Spirit-filled time of praising our God.  At least I assume it was for others that were not trying to tune out the conversation that was STILL going on behind them!  There wasn't even an attempt to whisper, and it was extremely distracting and aggravating.  I came very close to turning around and asking them in a less-than-Christ-like manner to please take their conversation out to the foyer.  In hindsight I realize that this would have only helped a little, since the doors between the sanctuary and the foyer were still wide open, and the noise of the milling crowd could be clearly heard over both the worship music and the chatting group behind me.  *Sigh*

Some of you by now are thinking, "Lee, you really need to calm down/lighten up.  Was it that big of a deal?  You shouldn't be so critical of your brothers and sisters."  Or something like that.  Certainly I did need to calm down, and the Holy Spirit was there to help with that.  As I prepared to turn around, the Holy Spirit reminded me of John 4:24: "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  Instead of turning around and potentially losing my cool with the folks behind me, I instead offered up a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking that He would help me worship the Father through Him, and not in my own flesh.  I asked that He would help me tune out all distractions and focus exclusively on my God, and the lifting of His name.  My prayer was answered!  I was able to refocus and enter in to a blessed time of communion through song.  My ire melted away.

Alas, that ire and frustration returned not long after the service was over and I reflected on the overall experience.  You see I don't think I was overreacting.  On the surface, someone chatting away in church may seem like a small deal, but I believe it is indicative of something much more serious -- a BIG DEAL --  that needs to be addressed.  I continue to be saddened by the loss of reverence in the modern, Western Church.  Many of you have read my previous blog posts, discussing the complete and intentional absence of liturgy and ritual as a contributing factor, but I do not believe this to be the only factor.  I think another reason we are losing our reverence in worship is because many of us are no longer going to Church for God.  Rather we are going to church for people, both ourselves and others.  I have to believe that if we really thought we were going to church for God, we'd be more respectful.  I would like to think that if we were there for the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings who gave His only Son to die so that we might once again have a relationship with Him, then we would take care not to chat away through prayers and times of worship.

I know there are many, many Believers that DO go to Chruch for God, to meet Him, encounter Him, respond to Him, and learn more of Him.  Unfortunately there are many, I believe, that do not.  They go for friends, family, and (dare I say it?) "community."  They go to church to socialize.  That was certainly the priority for the folks behind me, and for the folks out in the foyer who opted to be late for worship so they could chat more.  But at least the people in the foyer were considerate enough to remain there and not bring the chat into the sanctuary to disrupt other worshipers.  The very term "sanctuary" has less and less meaning in many modern churches, as that space is not treated as the sacred, holy refuge that the term implies.

It's not just church-goers who are to blame for all of this.  The Church herself is contributing to the problem.  We speak ad nauseam about "community" and "relationships," exhorting members to join "lifegroups" more than we exhort them to be in prayer and God's Word.  The call to action is to "get plugged in."  Serve.  Join a small group.  Build relationships with other people, and maybe God will rub off.

Community is great.  Godly fellowship is vital, and Biblically commanded (Hebrews 10:24-25). We are to sharpen one another, as Proverbs 27:17 tells us.  But the One we really need to be communing with is God, Himself.  It's great to foster healthy relationships with other Christians, but it's our relationship with God that should be paramount.  Our other relationships and communities should be means to that end.  If they are not pointing us to God and drawing us closer to him, then it's a waste of time.  We might as well skip church and join the Elks Lodge.

We've removed altars and prayer rails and put in coffee shops and bookstores.  We want people to come and hang out and socialize.  I've been to multiple churches that have indoor play structures like the ones you see in McDonalds.  This fits because many families shop for churches with the same criteria they use when shopping for a fast food restaurant: "Will my kids be safe, happy, and distracted enough for me to get this necessary activity (eating) out of the way with minimal whining?"  We want those well-to-do young families to come to our church, because after all if they don't, they might not go to church at all.  Or worse, they might go to the other church down the street.

Okay, sorry, I'm getting a little snarky, I realize. :)  Can you tell I'm frustrated?  Please know that my frustration is that of someone who has recently had a truth revealed that he knows should have been obvious all along.  I feel contrite about my blindness, and I want to help others see what I've been shown.  Namely this: our God is Holy, and higher than anything else.  He deserves all of our praise, honor, glory.  He deserves our very LIVES.  At the very least he deserves not to have times and places that were previously devoted to Him taken away and misappropriated for our own edification.  We are the Church, and the Church is all about Him.  The Church exists for Him.  The Church belongs TO Him.

I long for church leaders that will call their congregations back to lives of true worship; back to reverence.  We need to be taught more of the Holiness and shear unapproachability of God, were it not for the blood of His Son.  Would we approach our times of corporate worship so casually -- almost flippantly -- if we truly understood that we only have these opportunities to approach the Throne of Grace in safety because of Christ's death and resurrection?  We don't grasp our position with respect to the Father, through Christ.  Our services of worship should be times to respond to our God and King and all He is and all He does in our lives.  Our gatherings in the sanctuary need to become sacred once again.  Instead we leave the doors to the sanctuary wide open after the service starts and indulge any and all who want to wander in late, because heaven forbid anything be done to interfere with someone's comfort.

I don't think it would take much to begin injecting a little extra respect and reverence into our worship services, while simultaneously calling our congregations to accountability in this area:

1. Close the sanctuary doors when service is about to begin.  
2. Bring back ushers to man those doors and politely explain to those arriving late that the service has begun, and in an effort to not disrupt the prayer and worship, they'll be led to a seat just as soon as the prayer/song wraps up.
3. When starting the service, whether with prayer or with song, politely ask the congregation for their attention.  And then wait silently until you have it.  It won't take long for the chatter to die down when all other sound stops.  
4. If coming in late and/or talking during prayers or worship songs continues to be a disruption in your services, have a worship pastor or even lead pastor politely address it with the congregation.  It's a great teaching opportunity, a chance to preach about how God is deserving of our very best, all of our attention and respect.  Come to think of it, our fellow church-goers are worthy of our respect as well.

I think we'd be surprised at how many people will understand and respect -- even appreciate -- these efforts.  And for those that don't, well, I'm reminded of the old adage: "Those who matter won't mind, and those who mind don't matter."  Of course I don't mean to imply that anyone attending our churches does not matter.  Everyone matters.  I merely suggest that someone who gets upset or chooses to leave a church over something as minor as being asked to wait a minute or two before entering the service so as not to disturb others was probably not all that invested in the church in the first place.

We need to be less concerned about attracting the un-churched to our churches and more concerned about honoring God in them, and providing opportunity for those that love, follow, and revere God to gather together in sacred response to Him.  I am not for a moment suggesting we neglect evangelism or outreach, only that we don't misappropriate services of worship for these purposes.

My prayer for all of us is that going forward, whenever we gather for worship, that we'd do so anticipating a sacred time of responding to a Holy God.  I pray we'd respect Him and our fellow worshipers by showing up early and giving all of our attention and affection to Him, for He alone is worthy.