Pagan Symbols

Every year at Christmas a slew of articles and sermons come out on why we Christians should eschew Christmas trees and even the date of Christmas itself. We are told that the date of Christmas probably has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, but rather was selected to coincide with the "Saturnalia," a pagan holiday of gift giving in honor of the Roman god, Saturn. And, that is true. Jesus was probably born in the Spring, not the dead of winter. We are also told that Christmas trees are derived from pagan worship in ancient Germany. Again, probably true. And yet I will celebrate Christmas on December 25 and have had my Christmas tree up in my house for weeks now. Why? Because while it may be true that the origins of the date for Christmas and the practice of erecting a tree may be in pagan celebrations, they don't mean that to me and never have. Nor have they ever carried that meaning for anyone that I have ever known, or anyone they have ever known. For centuries the date of Christmas has been associated with the birth of Christ. And for more than a century the Christmas tree has only been associated with Christmas and the birth of Christ. As one pastor I once worked with said, "God honors what we honor." And I honor Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world on December 25 (among other days) and erect my Christmas tree as a part of that celebration. And God receives it as such. To be honest, I don't care if there are others who do not think that I am honoring God by celebrating Christmas. God knows that I am. And I do it for Him and for my family, not for others. "And that's the way it is!"

Pastor Ken