Despite the worry of many Christians, Christ is still very much a part of Christmas. Secular music specials feature songs for from our church hymnals, stores decorate with nativity scenes, and Christmas cards continue to feature the Wise men on their way to view baby Jesus. In short, the battle between the culture and our churches is not really over whether or not we keep the first syllable in the word Christmas. The real fight is over the virgin birth. It is over Jesus’ identity.
Our culture has no problem praising the arrival of Jesus, the great teacher. After all, Jesus cared about the poor, offered the world of ton of pithy statements, and tried to bring peace to earth. As the atheist R. Elisabeth Cornwell remarked, “Christmas belongs to anyone who wants it, and just because I gave up believing in a god doesn’t mean I gave up believing in the love and joy of family.” In short, the world has no problem with celebrating the principles that Jesus triumphed while on earth.
The real Christmas battle is actually being fought over the virgin birth. As the great revolutionary writer Thomas Paine once wrote, “It is…at least millions to one, that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie.” Miracles are inconceivable to the modern scientific mind because they bespeak of a reckless embrace of the absurd. But what makes the virgin birth so unfathomable to the modern mind goes beyond the scientific method. The theological and the philosophical implications are truly the most troubling part of the Christmas story for our culture.
If Jesus was really born of a virgin, then his claims of divinity carry great weight. His offer of salvation transforms from a pithy idea into an ever present reality. If we belief, Jesus can down from heaven being both fully God and fully, then we truly must worship him. We must obey him. We must realize that we are powerless to redefine sexuality, morality, or to pay for our wrongs. We must surrender our lives to him. And then, we must do all that we can to follow him. As the pastor Tim Keller wrote,
If there is a God, and he has become human, why would you find it incredible that he would do miracles, pay for the sins of the world, or rise from the dead?
If we admit that something miraculous happened in that Bethlehem stable so long ago, then we have to admit that something even better happened on Calvary. We have to admit the Jesus, the “way the truth and the life.”
But what if the Paine and today’s atheists are right? What if Jesus is simply just another human? Is Christmas still worth celebrating?”
I think the answer is most decidedly no. As Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If Christ is not God, Christmas is not a triumph over sin and death. Rather, the holiday is a testimony to the futility of humanity. Think about it. Thousands of babies are killed because of this Jesus’s birth. He most loyal predecessors and cousin ends up dead at because of an evil king. Eventually, Jesus too is executed unjustly. And then all but one of his disciples is murdered or executed. When Jesus attempted to bring at the best in people, he was slain by the worst in people. Christmas without a divine Jesus is nothing more than a tale of human hope dashed upon the rocks of human failure. Why celebrate Jesus if he is just human?
Thankfully, Jesus life and death were not useless. He was not just a man. He was both fully man and fully God. By his death and resurrection, Jesus secured eternal for the innocent babies that died Bethlehem, for John the Baptist, for his disciples, and for the millions of his followers. Jesus conquered death. As Hebrews 2:14b-15 says,
he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
As we talk about Christmas in the days ahead, let’s not just stop with putting Christ in Christmas. Let’s mention who Jesus really is. Let’s share about how the whole meaning of Christmas rides upon the virgin birth. From Bethlehem, the whole story of salvation unfolds. Are we ready to share it?
Tis the season of Christmas trees, little snow men, and lots of controversy. As with many holidays, Christmas brings with it a sleigh full of traditions. And every December, we Christians must spend some time unpacking them all. We must all decide whether or not an elf can sit on our shelf, whether or not a fat man can slide down our chimney, and whether or not we will stick a tree in our living room. We determine for our family which traditions bring Christ glory and which ones are really nothing more than spiritual coal. So how do we do this? How do we figure whether or not Jesus likes our traditions?
I know this may sound simple, but it is worth repeating. As much as Christmas is designed to be a season of light, it can include many dark and disturbing traditions. Once while working at a large bookstore, I observed a woman buying a playboy calendar for her husband. As she shopped, I heard her tell her friends that she and the other ladies in her family frequently bought playboy merchandise for their significant others each Christmas. Sadly traditions like this are far too common during the holidays. As believers, we must forsake all sinful things. Paul explicitly tells us that in I Corinthians 10:14 that we are to “flee from idolatry.” We are to flee from things that will keep us from Christ. We are to flee from sexually immorality, drunkenness, and greed. Any tradition that promotes idolatry, the worship or celebration of anything other than God, must be avoided. We cannot participate in them. If a tradition leads to or promotes sin, unplug you and your family from it.
Regardless of where we fall on traditions, our heart should always be to seek the good of our neighbors. We should always seek peace and unity when tackling the grey issues of Santa Clause, the Grinch, and the Charlie Brown Christmas special. We can both embrace and reject these traditions without sinning. But if our placement of a little red elf or the use of a tree is going to cause division in our churches, we can give them up. And if our neighbor sees nothing wrong with a tradition and is not sinning by singing Frosty the Snow Man, we can stuff our criticism back in the bag. We can simply sing along. But if someone says they teach their kids about Santa Clause to manipulate the behavior, we can address it in love. But at the end of the day, we do should not use traditions to divide ourselves from our brothers and sisters in Christ. They should bring us together. If they do not, we very well may have knowledge and no love. We may very well criticize others and tell them how right we are and all the while miss the very crux of the gospel as seen in the Christmas story. As Paul says in Romans 8:2, “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” If we think we have a monopoly on how to best celebrate Christmas, we have missed the fact Christ came to save and redeem us from our sin. Jesus did not come to celebrate our self-righteousness. Embrace your traditions with humility.
Finding good books for our kids and for our own souls can be tough! Below I have listed my top 5 books for each of the following categories: Preschoolers, Kids, and Parents. (Yes, I’m a kids pastor!)
This wonderful new book consists of 100 chronological stories (50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament) that seek to help our children understand the scope and sequence of the Bible. Each story is beautifully illustrated, biblically sound, and is accompanied by two additional circles: A Christ Connect Circle that helps us understand how the story fits into the bigger Gospel narrative and an application question circle. As an added bonus, these stories directly tie into the Gospel Project Sunday School curriculum, allowing you to bring the Gospel Project right into your living room.
This hardcover book presents the gospel using the story book platform. As the pages turn, your preschoolers will be captivated by the beautiful and fun illustrations that help them see the significance of creation, the temple and the cross. As the words are read, your preschoolers will learn that Christ has come to deliver people from the sadness brought into the world by Adam and Eve. This is one of my preschooler’s favorite books. Yours will love it too!
This is one of my favorite preschool/kids’ Bibles because it doesn’t try to be a kids Bible. Starting with creation and ending with Jesus’ resurrection the book covers 12 biblical stories. By not being exhaustive, the book can recount each Biblical narrative as a story. The beautifully illustrated pages flow from one to the next. And last page of each narrative always ties the story back to the gospel. And the best part for us with young kids is: the stories only last 5 minutes!
It has finally happened! An App has become a book! The “Bible App For Kids Story Book Bible” entered the world of paper last year and become an instant hit. Each of the book’s gospel-centered Bible stories can be read in about 2-3 minutes. But what makes this preschool Bible stand out from all the rest is its free digital content. You can download the Story Book Bible app for free and get access to even more Bible stories the jump, talk, and spin. You also can go to the bibleappforkids.com website and download coloring sheets, videos, discussions guide, and much more. With this one preschool Bible, you can teach your kids the scriptures across all major media platforms (print, mobile and pc).
Divided into two volumes (one is Old Testament stories and one is New Testament stories) these Bibles are perfect for toddlers. Covering twenty Bible stories each, these books deliver gospel centered truth in a board format that your toddler eat on while you read!
What book can help answer your kids’ questions, encourage their hearts to love God, and show them how to be radical follower of Christ? This one! As your 8-14 reads through this colorful book filled with pictures, illustrations, and photos, they will learn about how the Bible was formed, the doctrine of salvation, John Bunyan, the weapons used in biblical times, and much more more. This is by far one of the best Christian kids’ books out there. But I must warn you: If you get this book for your kids, you may find yourself wanting to read it as well!
If you are looking for a colorful book that explains theology to grade schoolers and middle schoolers without babying them, you need to grab a copy of The Ology. The book explores the subject of God, Scripture, humanity, salvation, the church, and many others. It sections contains colorful illustrations with written explanations of big theological truths and tons of Scripture references. You can use the book either as a family devotional using the discussion questions in the back or hand it off to your middle schooler and let him or her start learning the scriptures anew!
The ESV Student Study Bible is a great starter Bible for grade schoolers and older students. It is packed with tons of Bible study notes that help explain translation issues and the meaning of the text. . The Bible has its pages dotted with the profiles of famous men and women in the Bible and “Did You Know” text boxes that help children understand the historical context of various Scriptures such as when the Solomon compares his lovely bride to “a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.” (Try that one at home sometime!) At the back of the Bible, students will find a section dealing with how to study the Bible, another section on important Christian Truths, a glossary, and a concordance. And if you have a child who likes color, they will like the fact that this Bible comes in bright orange, blue, green, purple, and a host of other options.
The Bible is not just a collection of short stories. It has a central theme, a big picture. In The Biggest Story, Pastor DeYoung walks his readers through the entirety of the Bible in a playful, elegant, and hopeful manner. With each chapter, DeYoung shows kids that all of the Old and New Testament are about Jesus. DeYoung designed his book to be read aloud on Christmas morning as the family relaxes by the fireplace. You may not have a fireplace, but you will still benefit from adding this book to your Christmas traditions. It’s worth the read. And if you don’t want to read it, you can watch it!
Have your kids every asked you about heaven? You know the questions: “Will it be boring, will our pets be there, how do we get there, etc.?” If they have, grab them a copy of Heaven for Kids. Based on Randy Alcorn bestselling book, Heaven, Heaven for Kids provides thoughtful answers to the above questions and many more. Each chapter is filled with stories, analogies, and scriptural explanations that bring the reality of heaven into full view for our children. Get a copy for your kids and help them start thinking through eternity this Christmas!
If you are easily stressed out by the commercialism and hectic pace of the Christmas season, you will find this book refreshing. In span of 148 small pages, Keller reminds our hearts just how magical the message of the Christmas story is. He shows us that the story of Christmas is indeed one of great joy because the greatest gift the world has ever known has come in the form of a baby to bring the light of salvation to our dark world!
At times, parenting seems down right impossible. And at one level, it is. No one has the skills and abilities to parent well hour after hour. Thankfully, we are not alone. Paul David Tripp feels our pain! But he doesn’t leave us in our sorrow and frustrations. He points us us to 14 Biblical principles that will enable us to survive the day-in and day-out task of parenting.He points us to the Jesus who empowers unable parents to parent well! Grab your copy today!
After death and taxes, the next most certain thing is conflict. All men, women, and children (even the most mature) are still sinners who are prone to sinning. This little book helps us all put our relationships back together by focusing on how our love for Christ leads us to love others. Filled with tons of direct Scriptural applications, this is a must have for Christians. Conflict is coming! Be prepared!
Motherhood is hard. The world attacks the value and role of a mother but the Bible describes it as a sacred task given by God. Beyond Bath Time gives a realistic view of the struggles that moms face and encourages women to find hope and purpose in the mundane world as she studies God’s Word.
Church life can seem boring and mundane. But it should never be. As you interact with the Ripken’s incredible story, you will see that following God is an unbelievable task. The world is filled with dying children, crying mothers, and hopeless men. The need is greater than we can imagine. But our God is larger still. He makes missions go; He propels the gospel forward through our dark world, creating an amazing narrative of hope! In short, the Ripken’s story is one of insanity!
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