I saw a post on Facebook about a mother and daughter who got into a physical altercation because of a Christmas present. The comments that followed led me to write these comments.

What I’m about to say will may be surprising, and I’m sure it will offend some people. Here it goes…..

There is only a war on Christmas because Christians are not able to admit that the atheists are right.

During our family get together for Christmas where we enjoyed a meal together, exchanged gifts and had a good time of fellowship, someone asked me “the question”. I got nervous as they prepared to ask me “the question”. I didn’t now what was coming. Then it was asked, “What day was Jesus born?”

The Bible does not tell us what day He was born. We can get an estimate by when the announcement was made to Mary, by the shepherds in the field, by the census that was held, and other items of that nature. But no where is the day Jesus was born recorded. So when people fight so vocally for December 25th being Jesus’ birthday, they are fighting for something that has no Biblical record, no historical record, and a date that was selected by man to combat a worldly celebration.

I find it interesting that people will reference the early origins of Halloween as to why they do not celebrate it, but they do not hold the same standard when it comes to Christmas.

So when the atheists state a fact that Jesus was not born on Christmas, they are correct, but many Christians are not taught that and so they see it as a war on their faith. When faced with the truth, they do not know how to combat it.

When we buried my mother on Christmas Eve one year, someone tried to comfort me by saying that my mother was in Heaven celebrating Jesus’ birthday with Him and how great that must be. Inside I was screaming that wasn’t true, December 25th isn’t His earthly birthday, and I don’t think they celebrate the birth in Heaven. Jesus never said remember my birth, but He did say remember my death and resurrection. Yet in many churches, in many homes, people are taught that Jesus was born on December 25th.

So what is Christmas about? For the one who does not believe in Jesus, it is a time of love and peace. A time of hope for this world. For the one who follows Christ, it is a time to remember God keeping His promise of sending a Savior to the world in the form of a child. Fulfilling many prophecies, promises, that God had made. Promises He continues to keep today, and the hope we have that He will continue to keep His promises. It is not a celebration of the day He was born, but a celebration that God was now living among us after having the barrier of sin between us.

Don’t focus on the day Jesus was born, we don’t know when that was. Focus on the promise God kept, how Jesus showed us how to live, His sacrifice, and how we are to live for Him. You will reach more people showing God’s love, then by defending a falsehood – the specific day Jesus was born.

If Jesus was born on December 25th, but gave into the flesh and did not go to the cross, did not rise again, then His birth, except for the fulfillment of prophecies, was in vain. Because of the cross, we celebrate His birth, so why don’t we focus on the cross more?

Is there really a war on Christmas?

….. or is it a war on personal traditions?