“And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.” Job 1:5
What Job did early in the morning after the family festivities, we should also do as we are about to conclude our Christmas celebrations this week. In the midst of all the cheerfulness and parties, it is so easy to slide into sinful actions and forget our character as Christians. In festive celebrations like Christmas, we probably hope to get away with a little deviation from our usual virtuous living and hope that not many people would mind.
God minds. And if we really think about it, it is in bad taste when we pretend to celebrate the birth of Jesus in ways that actually dishonor Him. Charles Spurgeon once said that our days of feasting very seldom turn out to be days of sanctified enjoyment. Too often, they degenerate into unholy celebrations.
This post is not to dampen our spirits but to point us back to the reason why Jesus came: to deliver us from exactly that kind of deterioration. Without Jesus, our celebrations would remain shallow and sinful. Without Jesus, our gatherings would always be haunted with a trace of decay. Without Jesus, even our joys will have a trace of grief and suffering.
Christmas happened so that Jesus can save us from the power of sin and death, to give us eternal life and to sanctify our celebrations of life. No longer will we try to fake happiness with drinking binges, debauchery and false laughters. With His life giving Spirit in our hearts, our reason to enjoy is no longer limited to a few hectic days in December.
Jojo Agot 