What a joy to celebrate Christmas with friends and family! There are so many fun traditions that are wrapped up with the holiday. Advent calendars, Christmas trees, holiday lights, and nativity scenes. The list goes on and on. Every year my wife and I try to make a concerted effort to choose activities that help focus our family on the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season!
This year we are reading Ace Collins’ book Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. The history behind each of the traditions is fascinating. Did you know Martin Luther, the German pastor, is said to be the first person to put lights on a Christmas tree? He thought of the idea after seeing how beautiful the stars looked as he walked through a forest of evergreen trees. He attached candle holders to the branches of a Christmas tree and filled his home with light. Later when electricity was invented the tradition become even more popular and much safer!
The merit of certain Christmas traditions can be seen by whether they emphasize the biblical story of the birth of Christ. The advent calendar is one of my favorites because it builds anticipation for the incarnation, when God came to earth and lived on the earth as one of us.
Even if a Christmas tradition focuses our thoughts on Christ, I still try to teach our family that Christmas is not the end of the story. I have to remind them that Christmas points us towards Easter and Resurrection Sunday! If Jesus did not live a perfect life and die on the cross and rise from the dead, then there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas at all! We don’t usually talk about the Resurrection of Christ during Christmas, but I would recommend you to emphasize it because then you can keep the first advent of Christ in context.
Biblically speaking, the first advent should also remind us of the second advent of our Savior. In Matthew 24 Jesus predicted that his second coming would be glorious, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Jesus taught that no one knows when he will return, but all of us need anticipate his return and seek to be ready for him to come (24:44).
The early church had a way of reminding themselves of Christ’s return. They would say, “Maranatha,” which means “Our Lord, come!” The apostle Paul used this phrase at the end of his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:22), and the apostle John also used the same phrase at the end of Revelation (Revelation 22:20). It is an important phrase because it immediately reminds the believer that we are waiting for Christ’s return.
I think this is especially important to remember during the Christmas season because it is so easy to get wrapped up in the first advent of Christ. We need to remind ourselves that this isn’t the end of the story. The birth of Christ is just the beginning! Merry Christmas leads to Maranatha! I have found it helpful to combine these two phrases together, “Merry Christmas, Maranatha!” It is a great greeting to give to each other as believers. One person can say Merry Christmas and the other responds with, “Maranatha!” Together they help us celebrate the first advent and anticipate the second coming of Christ! “Merry Christmas and Maranatha!”
