December 25 – Special Days

        Romans 14:5 – "One man considers one day more sacred than others. Another man considers every day alike. Each man should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so in reverence to the Master."

        As an adult, I have come to loathe Christmas Day and the entire Christmas season. From my experience with family, it has turned into a day of selfishness, indulgence, certain expectations, a veneer of religious sentiment, and a display of a waste of money on gifts for people who already have all we need. This is all based upon traditions that have been passed down through the centuries mostly among Europeans – traditions that have been based upon the actions of a certain "saint" named Nicholaus.

        This brings us to the concept of giving. I hear the world and Christians say that the Christmas season is the season of giving – as if the rest of the calendar year is the season for hoarding and stinginess. As Christians, we should be growing in a habit of continual giving, helping to alleviate the suffering of the poor throughout the entire year. Hunger doesn't wait one day, let alone 11 months.

        Many people will argue that St. Nicholaus gave because of his underlying faith in the fact that God gave his Son to the world to provide the possibility of reconciliation between God and man. That obviously is the greatest gift of all if we choose to take it and live our lives based upon it. For some strange reason, however, we have segmented the birth of Jesus, and have only allowed its story to penetrate our lives for the month of December, relegating it to repetitive yearly displays of the same old thing. There are fantastic songs related to the birth of Jesus, which should be sung year-round. After all, we don't limit any other type of song to a certain month. We talk about the rest of the Bible at any other time, but leave the incarnation of Jesus only for December. Go figure!

        This is my opinion, and I am convinced that it is right for me, as the above scripture states. I am not denigrating anyone else's beliefs about how they do or do not "celebrate" the Christmas season. Each one of us lives in relationship to God, and should worship him as we see fit, whether it is on a day or season that we hold dear, or if it is a day like any other. 

       Read the rest of Romans chapter 14 for a complete view of the main verse. Colossians 2:16, 17 are also related verses.