Bulletin Articles
Tis the Season
We are rapidly approaching the time of year when many of our friends and the world in general thinks about Jesus. In particular, the baby Jesus. Nativity scenes are displayed, special services are held, and we see the billboards proclaiming, "Jesus is the reason for the season". How do we respond to this? What do we say when we are asked about or "special" Christmas services? Let's look at this from a Bible prospective.
It must be understood that nowhere in the Bible does God give us any definitive date for Jesus' birth Only two of the four gospels even mention his birth (Matthew and Luke). We are told that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and that is was during the reign of Roman emperor Augustus Caesar (Luke 2:1). Other than that, we are given no time of year or even the year itself. This should tell us that the actual day is not that important. We have already been given "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:2).
Contrast this with the death and resurrection of which we are told the time (Passover) and the day (15 day of the week). We also note that the early church, led by the inspired Apostles met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) to worship. Nowhere in the Bible doe we ever read about any special celebration for Jesus' birth.
So, what does the birth of Jesus mean to us? It is the fulfillment of God's promise to man to send a savior (Romans 8:3, Ephesians 2:4-8). It means the delivery of God's word to mankind (Hebrews 1:2, John 1:14). It opened the door to salvation for us (Romans 16:25-27).
Someone may ask, "what does it hurt to pick out a special day to celebrate Jesus birth?" God has given us instruction on how to worship him. He has set out a pattern (Hebrews 8:5, 2 Peter 3:1). It includes singing, praying, observing the communion, giving and teaching. If we add to this "special days" are we not telling God that we think we have a better way the He has given us? Jesus caution us to "do the will of the father" (Matthew 7:21-23). Paul warned us about "self-made" religion (Colossians 2:20-23).
Let's instead use the opportunity to talk to people about Jesus and God. It is one of the few times when lot of people even think about Jesus. Invite them to a service, engage them in a Bible study, tell them the real way to celebrate Jesus' birth is by taking advantage of His sacrifice by becoming a Christian and have Him make a difference in our lives each day of the year.
Good advice for us too.
