No other birth in history is so widely celebrated than the birth of “The Babe of Bethlehem”. Christmas has become a universal phenomenon, and commerce loves, loves… loves the season all the way to the bank!
 
As Christmas observance was not instructed by God, where, when, how, and why did the festival begin? Consider first the following biblical facts:      

• The angel Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary that God was going to cause her to become pregnant (Lk. 1:26-33).  He said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God (v. 35).

• Joseph refrained from engaging in sexual intimacy with Mary until after the birth of Jesus (Mat. 1:25).

• At that time, Roman Emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. Joseph and Mary were required to travel from their hometown, Nazareth, to Joseph’s ancestral birthplace at Bethlehem to register for the census (Lk 2:1-5). 

• Mary was advanced in her pregnancy. With Joseph on foot and Mary seated on a donkey, they travelled the gruelling 154 kilometres journey. 

Two groups of visitors emerged onto the scene

• TheShepherds: They were poor labourers. They worked with their hands, and ranked lowest in their society. While on the job one night, guarding their flocks of sheep, an angel informed them that their prophesied Saviour (the Messiah, the Lord) had been born (Lk. 2:8-20).
• The astrologers/scholars: They were wealthy men; skilled with their heads, and highly respected. They travelled from a far eastern country, believed to be Babylon. Following an unusual star for quite some time, they travelled eight hundred kilometres to Jerusalem, bearing expensive-symbolic gifts (Mat. 2).

Why Christmas has become what it is today

• In the Northern Hemisphere there were religious pagan cults that were based on the idea of fertility and reproduction.
• In Europe every year there was a pagan festival, held on December 25, long before Christ was born. This festival celebrated the birth of the new solar year.  

Called the “Winter Solstice”, the shortest day in the year (the day of the sun’s death) was December 21. People waited a few days before celebrating the rebirth of the sun. The Roman world called the sun-god, “Mithras”.  December 25 is the birthday of Mithras. The occasion was celebrated by over-eating, over-drinking, and over-sexing! It was a very indulgent festival with songs/carols, bonfires, and trees were cut down. A large tree was burnt as the festival’s “Yule Log”.

Most of what we do at Christmas today goes back to the Mithras fertility cult. The festival lasted for 12 days, hence the song… “12 days of Christmas my true love said to me…”. Every village elected one man to be “Lord of the Festival”. For 12 days he had the privilege of sleeping with any girl or woman in that community. This pagan festival was practiced all over Northern Europe… Yes, long before the birth of Christ! 

Now, the plot thickens…

When Pope Gregory sent missionaries to England, they landed at a town called Canterbury, in AD 597. The missionaries began to convert the people of the County of Kent, and managed to convert King Æthelberht to the Christian faith, and baptised him. But when the missionaries reported back to the pope, saying… “Sadly, we have not been able to take from the British people their mid-winter festival. It’s a terrible pagan fertility cult and we can’t get them to stop it”, Pope Gregory replied… “Well, don’t stop them from doing it… Baptise the festival into Christ… Bring it into the culture of the Church” The pope’s thinking was, “If you can’t lick them, join them.”
 
And so, this pagan festival came into the Christian faith in England as a result of the pope’s instructions. The festival, called Christmas, celebrated the birthday of the “celestial sun”… and the “Divine Son”.
 
Friends, I have no intention of being a kill-joy. I’m all about the truth. And, the truth is overwhelmingly clear; the Christmas festival today is back at its pagan roots because that’s what godless people enjoy most – an indulgent season of eating, drinking, sexing and excess spending. Clearly, the Christmas Season is not about the Saviour… It’s about Santa! (Concluding Part 2 tomorrow.)
 
Best wishes
Bill