Jesus Christ and Christmas

         Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2: 10-11

Today, following the news on the internet, I ended up watching a short video of a pastor from Texas telling the truth to kids and parents in a mall: “There is no Santa Claus. Santa Claus does not exist.” Certainly, most of the parents were not pleased to hear this and tried to tell him to leave. I also read the comments and people criticized him quite a lot. That afternoon, I took a power nap and laying on my bed, I was thinking about the meaning of Christmas, the pastor's words and how Christmas is being celebrated nowadays.

“Santa Claus does not exist. The Christmas season is about Jesus. Jesus was born 2016 years ago. He was born in a small town, called Bethlehem and that is the truth about Christmas. The man you are going to see today is a man in a Santa suit. Parents, you all need to stop lying to your children and telling them that Santa Claus is real. In fact, he is not. When you substitute the lie about Santa Claus in the heart of your child for the truth of Jesus Christ, you are bearing false witness against God. Do not lie to your children! Christmas is about Jesus and it’s not about Santa Claus!" - the pastor was telling the kids.

     This is a reality what the pastor has said that most of us have forgotten about today. I am an Orthodox Christian and with this text, I have no intention to judge you, neither tell you what to teach your children, but, I want to share the real meaning of Christmas – the Nativity of Jesus Christ, to all Christians around the world. I live in the USA, where every year, Christmas becomes more of a season for gifts than celebrating the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. You almost see everywhere the signs: “Happy Holidays.” Once, I heard an American politician saying publicly the following: “Every year on Christmas people greeting each other with “happy holidays” It's “Merry Christmas, not happy holidays.” We need to remember the real meaning of it.”

       Now I am going to say briefly about the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Simply, God Himself took on flesh so He that he can be like one of us, except in sin, to save the fallen man. It was necessary for Him to be born in the flesh, and so He came. He was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived from the Holy Spirit, in a small cave in Bethlehem. His Nativity was a beginning of the salvation of the people. Certainly, it was sealed with His Glorious Resurrection. So, the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ has an important meaning for all of us, as the Christian Orthodox Troparion (song): “Your Nativity, O Christ our God, has shone forth the light of knowledge upon the world; for therein those who worship the stars have been taught by a star to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, and to know You the Orient from on high. O Lord, glory be to You!”

      I come from an Orthodox country where the Christmas season is completely different. Yes, we do give gifts to each other, but on the day of Christmas, almost everybody goes to Church for Christmas service where everybody greets each other with “Christ is Born” and you answer “Glorify Him!” Then, there is a family gathering or also called, “Christmas lunch,” but still, people never forget to say to each other “Christ is Born.” This greeting is repeated throughout the Christmas Season- until the Feast of Theophany.

Now I should say how Christmas is being celebrated in the USA. I currently live here so I can talk about this county in particular. When I am shopping, I kept hearing, “happy holidays.” People are preoccupied with buying gifts, Christmas trees, decorating their homes. All of this is good, but I also see how preoccupied and distracted people are with material things, and forget about Jesus Christ being born in the flesh. During the Christmas season and on its every day, I see everything, except Christ. On Christmas, writing with pain in my heart, Christ is not there. Where is He? Are the gifts more important than Christ Himself? Are the Christmas decorations more important than Christ Himself? 2016 years ago, when Christ was born in flesh, the Magi also gave gifts to the newborn Child, but they first came all the way to Bethlehem to see the Baby, to worship Him and to rejoice at His Nativity. Then, they delivered their gifts.

How are we going to greet this Christmas, are we going be meet the newborn Baby, our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we going to keep buying gifts, cook etc., or should we clean our hearts, teach our kids that Christ was born?

     Christmas is about Christ. It's not about Santa Claus, neither about gifts. Let us educate ourselves as well as our children and understand the real meaning of Christmas. If we want to remain as good Christians, we have to truly focus on the essential meaning of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas). All that I was trying to say is, it is good to keep the season of Christmas by buying gifts to each other, decorating Christmasmas tree etc., but let us do not put all of these as our priority and Jesus Christ secondary. He has to be our main joy and reason for celebrating Christmas - His Nativity and the the rest of the above-mentioned.

     I wish for all Christians, to open the doors of our hearts and the hearts of our children for the new born Christ and on the days of Christmas to greet other with “Christ is Born,” and to sing with the angels: Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!