The Cure for the Common Christmas

“We spend a lifetime collecting ‘stuff’ that we will spend a lifetime hauling around with us trying to find storage for it all.”

These words were e-mailed to me recently. Very true words, poignant, in fact.

One cause of this is not only our bent toward materialism, but our distorted view / approach to Christmas. We Christians are as guilty as anyone of taking what is reported to be a remembrance or celebration of our Savior’s birth and turning it into the stress-filled, debt-ridden, chaos it has become.

We fill the need to express our love to those around us, especially our family, in the same way as the world. We buy into the falsehood that gifts will show our love. We are consumed, pardon the play on words, with the need to get our family the same trinkets the world gets there’s. Here we see the bigger distortion – that Christmas is about family, Christmas is about being together, Christmas is about showing our love to those around us. I am tempted to write, “I thought Christmas is about Christ,” but will not because I do not want to show how completely naïve I am. Christmas has gone the way of Easter. We really do not reflect on the true events of those days, historically. The world has taken those days and ruined them. We Christians, also being secular humanists, have not only allowed them to do so, but have been a party to their destruction. Think about it... we have been a party to trivializing our Savior’s birth AND death. Yes, Easter is really about His resurrection! But there is no resurrection without the death which we have allowed Peter cotton tail to trample all over.


The Cure

How do we re-claim these Christian Holy-days? Family Worship.

1 – It shows our family our true faith. It allows fathers to train up their children spiritually, which is the only mandate in the Bible when it comes to training our children.

2 – It builds bonds that show true familial love. Being together in God’s word and prayer develops the true relationship God designed for families. When these bonds are forged, we do not feel the need to spend large amounts on spouses or children to express our “love.” At the same time we have such a relationship with our children that they do not “need” (expect / demand) huge displays of materialism to keep them satisfied.

3 – The Bible is clear – Families are to worship God together. Churches do not encourage this or teach this. The proof of this is they are not teaching or discussing it. How many pastors lead their families in daily worship? Any wonder why families are disintegrating before our eyes including our pastor’s families? To reclaim our Holy-days and to keep our faith viable in a dying world, it must start with the family.


Family Worship – what does it involve?

It is quite simple. Have a set time every day to read the Bible together and pray together as a family. Many families even sing a hymn or two during this time.

There is no reason not to, and many reasons we must. You cannot imagine how it will change your family. It will be the cure for the common Christmas.