The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid! No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Savior's love never be forgotten! But may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! May we chant forth the wonders of redeeming love, and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, for ever and ever! And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, of the right way for the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.
~ George Whitefield

A slightly different take, and with the hope that this will not needlessly offend, and that God's Spirit will guide each person's conscience in accord with His will:

I believe we must guard carefully against the infiltration of the world, or of its religions, most especially including Romanism, into Christ's Church.

It has been the consistent practice of Rome for almost 2 millenia to adopt, "Christianize," and celebrate the pagan rituals and festivals of the world. Some of this has seeped into even Protestant and Reformed churches, hence the need for Semper Reformanda, or to be "Always Reforming."

So should we celebrate the birth of Christ? Probably. It is neither commanded nor prohibited by Scripture, but the detailed stories we are given in, e.g., the first few chapters of Luke, do give us much to celebrate.

I mean only to suggest that if we do, we should celebrate Christ, not "Christ's Mass," nor any other mass, and certainly not in the way that Rome celebrates said mass, much less the world's way, which barely bothers to pretend to be less about commerce than about Christ.

It has been my observation that many who otherwise understand and reject others of the unbiblical practices and traditions of Rome, nevertheless take great offense against my suggestion that "Christ's Mass" or "Easter" are among them, and ought to be treated the same way: tested against Scripture, and then adopted (or not) to exactly the extent that Scripture warrants. Probably by other names though since even these very names (notwithstanding the unfortunate translation of πάσχα in Acts 12:4) are grossly unbiblical. Rome still holds far too much sway over even those of God's People I consider most fully committed to His Word. Hence, again, Semper Reformanda, and Sola Dei Gloria!!