So why, if we don't really believe in Christ anymore, do we still find our culture looking forward to Christmas? Everyone likes a holiday, no? Isn't that enough? Not if you care about how things happen in a culture. It seems that enough of us have believed for a long enough time that Jesus' birth really should be celebrated that we have aligned our business year with the church calendar. We have over time adjusted the meanings of the church celebration to make it more palatable to non-believers. We changed "holy day" to "holiday," we changed "St. Nicholas" to "Santa Claus" but we still desire to gather our family together, exchange presents, hold feasts, and celebrate, even though we no longer have any real belief in the thing being celebrated. But we still want to sing Christmas carols...
We should look carefully at the second and third and fourth verses of our familiar carols.
No more let sin and sorrow grow, nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.
How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given,
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
God of God, Light of Light, lo, He abhors not the virgin's womb,
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing… O come let us adore Him…
Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave - Jesus Christ is born to save.
Calls you one, and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save...