A few years ago I remember there being a family in our apartment complex that didn’t celebrate Christmas. The real kicker was that they were ardent Christians, and we’re a really great family. They didn’t celebrate it, for reasons that are common. Jesus wasn’t born in December, it’s a roman holiday, etc, etc, etc… The real funny thing was that another Christian family in our complex noticed this family didn’t have a tree or any presents for the kids…and in the real Spirit of Christmas they set out to correct this assuming the family couldn’t afford to celebrate.
They went out and bought a tree, presents, and Christmas food and showed up unannounced at their doorstep to surprise this family with their own “Christmas Miracle.” What was really great, was that the family that didn’t celebrate; never let on with this family as to why they didn’t celebrate. They just took the gift, and celebrated that year.
Well, this year the folks over at “What’s in the Bible?” have tackled this age-old questions of why is Christmas on December 25th? The videos and curriculum are sure to be content-rich; but they bring up an interesting question. How do we approach this sensitive subject with kids and those that lead them in our churches? I mean we do all understand that Jesus wasn’t born on the morning of December 25th, right? We know that the date we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior is rooted deeply in pagan traditions, right?
I personally have learned to celebrate the birth and coming of my redeemer, in spite of the conflict that December 25th present for us; but how do I prepare my leaders to do this in the atmosphere of being honest and forthright with our kids?
Let’s start here:
- I’d let the information within the WITB videos spur the questions and answers on their own. When I show this video to our kids at Trinity this month, I’m going to make room for kids to question what they hear.
- I’m going to encourage that we make the most important thing the most important thing. The most important thing being…a redeemer was sent for me. That redeemer was born to a virgin, and laid in a manger in Bethlehem. That’s truth, and I can hang my hat on that all day long.
- Be sensitive to those that disagree with the day of December 25th. It’s easy to assume those people are nuts, but they have their reasons. When I’ve dealt with these families; I’ve always encourage them to find their own times of the year to celebrate the arrival of a redeemer!
So I’ve spent time today talking about this great video and curriculm idea from WITB; and now it’s time to give yourself a chance to win some all for yourself! I’ll be giving away a “Why do we call it Christmas? Curriculum Series” DVD, valued at $79.99! And you can enter right now below, and there are up to 5 different ways to get your name in the drawing. Let’s play now!
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