Christmas always comes with some drama. Ripped from the pages of Facebook, here’s the epic saga of my tree decorating of 2013…
Plugged in every strand of lights to make sure they were working before putting them on tree. Plugged in every individual strand of lights to make sure they were working after putting each on tree. Decorated tree. Plugged in tree. Everything fine for about 15 minutes.
Entire tree goes out.
Went searching for problem strand. Determined it was one of two strands at bottom of tree.
Figured out which one it was.
Carefully disentangled said strand from branches and ornaments. Discovered kids had hung ornaments on light strand. Discovered that 10 year old, despite a lifetime of instruction, is still hanging multiple ornaments on a single branch like so many bunches of ripe cherries. Discovered it is much easier to take lights off a tree when there are no ornaments on it. Discovered a 44 year old spinal column ain’t what it used to be.
Plugged new strand of lights into end of previous working strand. No worky.
Prayed.
Contemplated tree with no lights on bottom branches. Imagined offspring in years of therapy due to improperly lit tree.
Prayed again. Considered that this was probably the stupidest prayer God had ever heard.
Replugged a different way. Worky. Restrung working strand of lights. Yay. Tree is now completely lit.
Stepped back and discovered side of tree -heretofore unnoticed- looked like a giant had taken a bite out of it (disproportionately short branches). Decided to rotate tree so “bald spot” would be in back.
20 degrees- bald spot still visible.
45 degrees- bald spot still visible. Tree protests being moved by dropping two large jingle bells on my head.
90 degrees- bald spot in back, but now all front ornaments are in back and back ornaments are in front. Also, all breakable ornaments are now dangling precariously over bare tile floor in back instead of over padded tree skirt in front. Some appear ready to commit ornament suicide any moment.
Redecorate approximately 40% of tree. Discover angel topper now at right face instead of facing front. Climb on hearth to rotate angel. Tree drops more jingle bells.
Due to rotation, tree is now too close to couch. Perform origami on spinal column again and attempt to slide tree closer to fireplace. Foot of tree stand gets hung up on edge of a tile. Tree sways but stays in tact.
Operation “Outsmart Christmas Tree” complete. Merry Christmas to me :0)
2016 Update:
Tree shopping and decorating
My husband says the angel looks like it’s about to launch into orbit!
Oh no, not again!
Fixed!
2018 Update:
Still not the picture perfect tree, but we love it!
2020 Update
This year all the lights stayed on, but the tree ended up being a little shorter than we liked, so I wrapped up a milk crate like a present and the tree stand is sitting on top of it. Also, the angel topper that we’ve had since we got married gave up the ghost a couple of years ago, so we had to replace her with a new one whom we’ve affectionately dubbed “disco angel” due to her LED lighting. (Yes, I know real angels don’t look like that. Don’t @ me. :0)
2021 Update
We always grab a snack or dessert after tree shopping. This year it was Mexican ice cream!
The tree looks pretty much the same this year as it did last year, so I thought I’d show you some of my favorite decorations instead:
The first ornament that was “ours”. We bought it the Christmas before we got married.
There are 6 red, green, and purple balls in this “Names of Christ” set: Redeemer, Lord, Savior, Emmanuel, Jesus, and Christ.
All the Lesley stockings. I love the birdhouses my husband built. As we keep adding members to the family, we’re going to need a longer mantel!
2022 Update
This could, conceivably, be the last Christmas any of the kids will go with us to pick out the Christmas tree. The last two in the nest are 19 and 20 respectively, with full time jobs and their own activities to attend to.
Christmas ornaments from travels to various conferences this year.
2023 Update
The Lesley Way is for everybody to pick out and advocate for the tree he or she thinks is best. Then, Dad (who’s the one who actually has to trim it), makes the final decision. Mom has veto power, but, since Mom would be happy with almost any tree in the place, and since we all have similar taste in trees, it’s rarely exercised. This year, we picked Laura’s tree.
Probably one of my favorite Christmas tree pictures ever.
Bonus pic of my husband and me goofing off at our local Christmas parade. Every Southern girl needs a big, floppy Ouiser hat to keep the sun at bay!
2024 Update
This year was the very first time we have ever gone Christmas tree shopping without at least two of our children. It’s one of those things that most couples experience when they first get married, and here we are, after almost 32 years of marriage doing it for the first time! We have always loved picking out a tree together as a family, but this was a different kind of fun – a “date day”!
My dad passed away this past January, so after the funeral we spent some time helping my mom sort, donate, and downsize some things. She very kindly allowed my girls and me to go through all of her Christmas decorations and take the ones we wanted. I’m so glad we will all have these precious heirlooms and the memories that go with them. I have been waiting almost a year to hang them on my tree. Wanna see?
If you’re around my age, you might remember decorating glass balls like this. Elmer’s glue and glitter, baby! We all had one with our name on it. These are my mom’s and dad’s, which will henceforth hang on my tree. My husband’s and mine – new this year, and purchased on a trip to a retreat I spoke at – aren’t quite as elegant, but we like them.โค๏ธ๐โค๏ธ๐
Before there was “Elf on the Shelf,” there was elf on the tree. Circa the 1960’s, I’m pretty sure.
The three glass balls, the gold filigree Star of David, and the aqua/silver tinsel Koosh Ball-looking thingie, my parents bought in sets in Germany when my dad was stationed there before I was born, so they are all about 56-57 years old. My sister and I used to have great fun throwing those tinsel thingies at the tree, and I kept the tradition when I decorated this year! We got the straw stars when the Army moved us to New Mexico when I was a child, so those are probably 45-50 years old. We threw those too, but they didn’t stick as well as the tinsel ones. :0)
It looks like the middle section isn’t lit as well as the upper and lower sections, but that’s just because the branches are a lot thicker right there.
2025 Update
Our second year searching for our Christmas tree as empty nesters! We think this year’s tree is the best shape and size we’ve ever gotten!
I did have issues with the lights again this year. They were all working when I put them on the tree, and then a strand and a half went mysteriously dark. But here’s the wisdom of age for you – this year, I didn’t take the lights off the tree. I shoved the infernal quitter strands all the way back to the trunk where they’d be invisible and went out and bought a new 250 light string to replace them.
I was pretty happy until I reached for an ornament tote – which I had already gone through this year, mind you – and found four brand new boxes of lights that I’d bought at an after Christmas clearance sale sometime within the last few years.๐คจ
Oh well.
I thought you might enjoy this little video I made. It was for a Christmastime women’s meeting at my church (so I’ve clipped out the first few seconds for privacy reasons). We all brought something to demonstrate how we “keep Christ in Christmas” in our homes.
Merry Christmas! Welcome to another โpotpourriโ edition of The Mailbag, where I give short(er) answers to several questions rather than a long answer to one question.
Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.
What do you think about having decorated Christmas trees in the sanctuary / on the platform at church?
It’s a great question, because we want every aspect of our worship services – even the decor – to honor God and be conducive to worship.
Assuming they’re tastefully decorated in an understated way, I don’t personally have any problem with a Christmas tree at the front of the sanctuary for decoration. I’ve seen some lovely ones that were decorated with all white ornaments of biblical symbols (crosses, doves, stars, etc.). I don’t really see any theological difference between a Christmas tree, a holly garland, candles, poinsettias, flowers on the altar every week, ficus trees, potted plants, backdrops, banners, or any other tasteful, reverent, non-distracting piece of decor. They’re just inert objects that somebody thought would spruce things up a bit (yeah, I went there) and make the space pretty. There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, have you read God’s instructions for the design of the tabernacle and the temple? Lots of flowers and tapestries and gold and all kinds of other pretty stuff. God invented beauty. He is OK with His house being beautiful as long as that beauty honors and points to Him.
God invented beauty. He is OK with His house being beautiful as long as that beauty honors and points to Him.
But there’s something else we need to take into consideration…
All things are lawful,โ but not all things are helpful. โAll things are lawful,โ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
We have good brothers and sisters in Christ in our churches whose consciences, for various reasons, just can’t handle Christmas trees. And having Christmas trees in the sanctuary would distract them from worship. So you know what we do to love and honor them? We lay aside our “right” to have Christmas trees on the platform and either don’t decorate or find another way to decorate. Many churches have found lots of different ways to tastefully decorate for Christmas that don’t involve Christmas trees.
Does Jeremiah 10:3-4 (and other passages) prohibit Christmas trees?
The short answer is no. It should be obvious to anyone who reads Jeremiah 10:3-4 in context that the passage is talking about the crafting of wooden idols, not Christmas trees. And other passages – such as Deuteronomy 12:2, which refer to idol worship taking place under โevery green treeโ – don’t prohibit Christmas trees either, despite the fact that “every green tree” sounds like “evergreen tree”. These passages, read in context, are all referring to a location where idol worship takes place.
I have a statue of Joseph and Mary holding baby Jesus. Itโs in a corner year round in my living room. As a former Catholic, Iโm questioning myself if I should even have it at all?
Let’s first focus on the fact that you don’t have to buy, keep, or display any decoration for any reason. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can get rid of it. If you no longer have room for it, you can get rid of it. If it clashes with your couch, or takes too long to dust, or the dog has chewed Joseph’s toes off, you can get rid of it. This is your house. You get to decide how to decorate it (within biblical parameters, of course: e.g. no pornographic images, no profanity, no Buddha statues, etc.)
I’d suggest praying about it and even discussing it with your pastor, if you like, and certainly with your husband if you’re married. You may want to prayerfully consider…
When you arrive at the biblical answers to those questions, you’ll know whether or not to keep it or let it go.
(If you’re concerned that the statue might be a violation of the second Commandment, you might want to check out my article Nativity Scenes and the Second Commandment.)
I haven’t seen any of your articles that specifically mention what kind or types of ornaments we should decorate our Christmas trees with. While it’s certainly a personal preference for everyone, I just wanted to get your input about them. Through the years I’ve seen many trees with favorite sports team ornaments to baby or pet pictures, cartoon characters, White House ornaments, angels, snowmen, snowflakes, and many more. While these may not have intended to be anything other than a person’s preference, shouldn’t everything we do even regarding this, be done to honor and point to Christ in celebrating His birth and life? Are decorations that have nothing to do with Jesus, or who He is, wrong?
I think you answered your own question very well. It’s a matter of personal preference. If you’d like for all of your Christmas decorations to point to Christ, that would be a lovely way to honor Him and celebrate His incarnation.
Other sorts of decorations (again – as I mentioned in my answer to the previous question – within biblical parameters, of course: e.g. no pornographic images, no profanity, no Buddha statues, etc.) are also fine.
A few little nuggets to think about:
When you decorate for Thanksgiving, does everything you put out have a Bible verse on it, or in some way explicitly point to Christ? Or do you maybe decorate with pumpkins, turkeys, stalks of wheat, a cornucopia, etc.?
We are supposed to be living testimonies to Christ 24/7. Does every item of clothing or jewelry you wear have a Bible verse on it or in some way explicitly point to Christ?
I don’t ask these questions to discourage you from using only Christ-centered decorations at Christmas – as I said, that’s totally fine – but rather to help you think through why this concern would be restricted to Christmas and not apply to other situations or times of the year. We don’t want to be accidentally hypocritical, but rather, biblically consistent with our beliefs and practices.
You’re absolutely right that everything we do should “be done to honor and point to Christ”. But as Christians, that’s not primarily about the exterior trappings of our lives like decorations, jewelry, or clothing. We honor and point to Christ by living in the world He created and being obedient to Him in our thoughts, words, and actions. And it’s OK with Him for us to do that while wearing hoop earrings and the promotional t-shirt we got from the grand opening of a local chicken joint, or putting an LSU Tigers ornament on our Christmas tree. To be “in the world, not of the world,” as the old saying goes.
Honoring Christ is not primarily about the exterior trappings of our lives like decorations, jewelry, or clothing. We honor Christ by living in the world He created and being obedient to Him in our thoughts, words, and actions.
I thought you might enjoy this little video I made. It was for a Christmastime women’s meeting at my church (so I’ve clipped out the first few seconds for privacy reasons). We all brought something to demonstrate how we “keep Christ in Christmas” in our homes. Maybe it will give you an expanded perspective on decorations.
This image was shared on Facebook (not by the person credited for the image) as a response to my article The Mailbag: What should we tell our kids (and grandkids) about Santa Claus?. I would encourage you to read my article for the context of my response. (Since she simply posted the image without any explanation, I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt that she was sharing this as an example of what not to teach your children about Santa Claus, but unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case.)
Thanks for sharing. This is a great example of what not to do. I don’t know if these parents are Christians or not, but they have taken a really unbiblical approach. There’s no such thing as some sort of spirit of Santa Claus, so they’re still lying to their child.
And to say that Santa “lives in our hearts” is actually worse than telling their child Santa is a real, discrete person. It’s not only going to confuse Ryan more when his parents start talking to him about inviting Jesus into his heart (“What? You said Santa lives in my heart. Isn’t it going to be crowded in there?”), it’s just as blasphemous for Santa to take Jesus’ place in the heart as it is to ascribe omniscience to Santa (as I explained in the article).
And the parting thought that believing in Santa, whom you can’t see, will help you to believe in God, Whom you can’t see is unbelievably blasphemous and unbiblical. It elevates Santa above God and trivializes all God has done to reveal Himself to man, especially the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
I’m sure the parents were trying to be loving to their child and cushion the blow that Santa isn’t real, but they did it at the cost of the glory of God, the truth of Scripture, and the opportunity to lay a biblical foundation for their child’s future salvation. That’s an expensive Santa Claus.
I’m sure the parents were trying to cushion the blow that Santa isn’t real, but they did it at the cost of the glory of God and the truth of Scripture. That’s an expensive Santa Claus.
This is why you don’t lie to your children about Santa Claus. It’s unbiblical for all the reasons I gave in the article, and when you come up with solutions like this to finally tell your child the “truth” without hurting his feelings, that’s unbiblical too.
Christmas Music
What do you think about the Christmas song, The Little Drummer Boy? Iโve always loved that song but I recently read an article stating that we shouldnโt sing it because itโs not biblically true.
It depends on what the article means by “not biblically true”. If they mean it conflicts with, denies, or twists Scripture in some way, I don’t see that in the lyrics. If they simply mean there’s no mention in Scripture of a little drummer boy visiting Jesus as a baby, that’s correct.
However, it’s reasonable to assume friends, family, and possibly even curious strangers (spurred on by the shepherds’ amazing story) visited Jesus and His parents in the days after His birth. In fact, for such a corporate and family oriented society, it would have been unthinkable that only the shepherds, and later, the wise men, ever visited them.
Could one of those visitors have been an impoverished little boy who wanted to play a song for Jesus on his drum? And Mary consented? And Jesus smiled? I don’t see why not. None of that conflicts with Scripture, and it’s all within the realm of possibility (except for the ox and lamb keeping time – I’ve never known a barnyard animal with good rhythm).
Did the article you read mean that “we” (as in the congregation, choir, soloist) shouldn’t sing that song in the worship service because it isn’t drawn from Scripture? I would fully agree with that. All of the elements of our worship services should be drawn from, and centered on the Word.
But as far as personal or family use goes, if the song makes you uncomfortable in some way, you don’t have to sing it or listen to it. (It’s certainly not one of my favorites.) I guess the decision you would have to make is whether you’re only comfortable with songs that come straight from Scripture or whether you can be comfortable with a song about something that could have happened, but isn’t in Scripture. And either way is totally fine. It just depends on your heart and your conscience.
Is there anything biblically wrong with singing Christmas hymns during worship? Our church refuses and only reserves them for our Christmas service. Just odd to me. But they decorate with a big ole Christmas tree and wreaths in the sanctuary.
No, thereโs nothing biblically wrong with singing Christmas hymns in the regular worship service. Iโve never heard of a church that reserves them only for the Christmas service (especially a church that sees nothing wrong with decorating for Christmas) but thereโs nothing unbiblical about that either. I would encourage you to kindly, gently, and lovingly ask your pastor about it.
Christmas-Related Activities
I’m a member of a doctrinally sound church. That’s why it was a little confusing when all of a sudden, from the pulpit, they announced that we were going to have a float in our upcoming Santa Claus Parade.
When one brave soul asked why we would participate, the answer was: we need to look at the “greater good” – it’s getting the gospel out – which we are doing with tracts and Christmas candy.
While I was happy to be a part of printing off the material in hopes of getting it into the hands of as many people in our city, I won’t be participating in handing it out in the parade.
Am I wrong to feel this way? I know I should be asking our Pastors about this – but frankly, after that one person asked, she was told that we were going through with itโฆthat they valued her “opinion” on the matter – but that they (as well as the Deacons that discussed the matter), see nothing wrong with participating in such an event. Why couldn’t we have a “booth” that was away from the parade route, and hand out literature there, instead of “being in the thick of thingsโฆ”
(You didn’t say exactly how your church is going to distribute the tracts and candy, but in our local Christmas parade, the float riders throw their candy and other goodies to the watching crowd, so that’s the assumption I’m working under with my response.)
It’s always a good thing to carefully think things through whenever we bump elbows with the world. We want to impact the world with the gospel, but we want to be careful not to become worldly. “In the world, not of the world” as the saying goes.
But from everything you said in your email, I’m going to have to go with your pastors on this one. (In fact, I’ve been recommending for years that churches participate in Christmas parades as an evangelistic outreach.) It sounds to me like they’re taking hold of a golden opportunity to share the gospel and let people in the area know about your doctrinally sound church. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do as Christians? “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”?
If you’re going to share the gospel with sinners, you have to go where sinners are.
If you’re going to share the gospel with sinners, you have to go where sinners are. And if you’re invited by the sinners, so much the better. The parade organizers have invited your church to participate, or, at least they haven’t told your church it can’t participate. Why would your church not joyfully accept that invitation? Your area may be progressive, but it’s not so progressive that they’ve banned churches from participating in the Christmas parade (wouldn’t that be hypocritical?) yet.Jesus said, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. The hour is coming when no man can work.”. We’ve got to take advantage of these gospel opportunities while we still have them.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral peopleโ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, โWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?โ But when he heard it, he said, โThose who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: โI desire mercy, and not sacrifice.โ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.โ
1 Corinthians 5:9-10, Matthew 9:10-13
Why couldn’t we have a “booth” that was away from the parade route, and hand out literature there, instead of “being in the thick of thingsโฆ”
Because the parade is where the people are! If you’re there to share the gospel, why wouldn’t you want to be “in the thick of things”? “Yes, we’d like to come to your parade and share the gospel, but please put us in an out of the way area where fewer people will be.”? Hon, I am not trying to be harsh with you, believe me, but I say this to you in sisterly love: Most of the people who will be at that parade are on their way to an eternity in Hell. Have you really thought about that? Does that not grieve you? Don’t you want to rescue as many of them as possible with the gospel? An out of the way spot? Jesus said:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
Your pastors are trying to set your church on a hill and shine the gospel forth from it. Don’t ask them to put it under a basket. From everything you’ve said, they’re good, trustworthy doctrinally sound pastors. You don’t have to personally hand out materials at the parade (you wouldn’t have to even if you were 100% on board with all of this), but trust them and submit to their leadership.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (Iโll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
Christmas – there’s no other holiday in which music plays such a major role. And what a blessing that so much of the music of Christmas centers around the incarnation of our Savior! At no other time of the year are you likely to turn on a secular radio station or walk into a store and hear songs about Jesus. It’s one of the things that makes Christmas music so special.
Here’s a collection of all my favorites – and many you’ve suggested! I’ll continue adding more songs as the years go by, so let me know your nomination for the best Christmas songs of all time in the comments!
(Note: I do not necessarily endorse all of the songwriters or performers listed below, the churches/organizations they represent, any other songs they may have written or performed, or their theology. If you decide to follow any of these people or groups, check out their theology first to make sure it’s biblical.)
1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
This one is my all time favorite because of the awesome gospel theology wrapped in ribbons of beautiful wording. Just a few of my favorite phrases:
God and sinners reconciled Veiled in flesh the godhead see, hail th’ incarnate deity Mild, He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth
2. It’s About the Cross
This is my favorite “non-carol” Christmas song. The beginning of the story is wonderful and great, but it’s the ending that can save you and that’s why we celebrate. The incarnation of Christ has always been about the cross and the resurrection.
3. Handel’s Messiah
Yes, I know it’s way more than one song, but, having performed it several times, I can honestly say I love the whole thing. Much of it is Scripture (verbatim) set to some of the best music ever written for a choir. Phenomenal.
4. Glorious Impossible
One of the more recent Christmas songs out there, it’s chock full of allusions to Scripture and the gospel.
5. Angels We Have Heard on High
It adequately handles the Christmas narrative, but I have to admit, I love this song for the chorus. It has a beautiful, intricately-woven, nearly ethereal sounding harmonic structure, and a simple, yet profound message: “Glory to God in the highest.”
6. Jesus, What a Wonderful Child
6. Jesus, What a Wonderful Child– Sometimes a great song is packed with good theology, and sometimes a great song expresses one simple idea. Jesus, What a WonderfulChild is one of the latter. If you’ve read the title, you’ve got the main idea. Plus, it’s just a lot of fun!
7. Sweet Little Jesus Boy
I love how this song captures the idea that when Jesus came the first time, “we didn’t know who You were.” And nobody does it like Mahalia Jackson.
8. Christmas Offering
This song draws the parallel between the offerings of the wise men and our offering of worship, the gift our King most desires.
9. Christ is Born
I know, I know, it’s twangy and most people don’t like Southern Gospel music. That’s OK, I do. And you’ve gotta love a Christmas song that starts out with the Fall of Man.
10. Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy
This is another one that made the list because of the music. The lyrics are a simple retelling of the journey of the magi, but the music just takes you right out to the desert and plops you down on a camel’s back.
11. Joy to the World
As Christians, many things in this life bring us sadness and discouragement: grief over our sin, prodigal children, death of loved ones, persecution, suffering. There is no better antidote to our sorrows than to focus on the joy we have in Christ. This is a beautiful, classical-style rendition of Joy to the World.
12. Light of the Stable
I love this song’s upbeat focus on Jesus as Light, King, and Savior. I can almost imagine myself in Bethlehem, bowing down before my infant King.
13. Silent Night
What Christmas music collective would be complete without Silent Night? Does your congregation sing this hymn at your Christmas Eve service or other special worship times? Grace Community Church does, and they sound just lovely.
14. Come on Ring those Bells
Were you even a Christian in the 80’s if you didn’t have Evie’s Christmas album? This song probably sounds cheesy to younger ears today, but approaching the birth of Christ as “the greatest celebration of them all” definitely has a nice ring to it. (Yes, I went there. :0)
15. Go Tell
There’s an undeniable evangelism motif in the story of Christ’s birth. Gabriel told Mary about Jesus. The angels told the shepherds the good news. And the shepherds…well they told everyone what they’d witnessed. That’s the theme of this Great Commission toe-tapper: GO. TELL.
16. O Little Town of Bethlehem
In the eyes of the world, Bethlehem was nothing special. It wasn’t the center of commerce or the seat of governmental power. It was just a little town of no consequence. Until…Jesus. This song, sung so delightfully by these four brothers in Christ, reminds us that Jesus is what makes the ordinary… extraordinary.
17. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
In a magnificent use of metaphor, this song casts Jesus Himself as the beautiful “star” of Bethlehem. And indeed, for Believers, Jesus is that “star divine,” lighting and guiding the way “unto the land of perfect day,” when we finally see Him, in all of His glory, face to face.
18. Ordinary Baby
Jesus was fully God, but sometimes we forget that He was also fully man. And not just fully man, but an ordinary, nondescript man. He was approachable, not elite. Personable, not intimidating. Accessible to kings and paupers alike. The Erwin siblings deliver this simple song with smooth and mellow charm.
19. We Are the Reason
The tradition of Christmas time gift giving is an homage to the gifts the wise men gave Jesus. But what about the “greatest gift of our lives” that Jesus gave us? He gave all He could give to us: His life, forgiveness of sin, salvation. Avalon handily dusts off this CCM classic and freshens it up for a 21st century audience.
20. O Holy Night
Christ, the thrill of hope, entered our darkened world on that holy night so long ago. As the soft, plaintive melody gradually swells into a great and glorious crescendo, we are reminded of how long the world pined away in sin and error, punctuated by the resplendent arrival of her Savior and King, much the same way we await His second coming today.
21. Sing We the Song of Emmanuel
One of the reasons I’m not crazy about contemporary Reformed worship hymns as a genre is that so many of them sound like funeral dirges. There’s no joy. They’re slower than Christmas. Not this one. This is a song about a joyful event that actually sounds joyful. Hope alive, let the gospel ring! Sing it with joy in your heart and a smile on your face!
22. He Who Is Mighty
Another contemporary one I’ve grown to love in recent years. A modern day Magnificat. Indeed, Christ has “shattered the darkness and lifted our shame,” and Holy is His name.
New This Year!
23. O Come All You Unfaithful
The author of this song explains that her inspiration for the lyrics came from singing O Come All Ye Faithful at church during a particularly difficult Christmas season when she felt very unfaithful. But I would argue that Christians are simultaneously the faithful of O Come All Ye Faithful and the unfaithful of this song.
We are the barren and waiting ones who have nothing, and for whom Christ was born, and that is precisely why we joyfully and triumphantly come and adore Christ the Lord.
Bonus Nomination: Best Christmas Album
This is largely a nostalgic, rather than theological, nomination. My favorite Christmas record album growing up was Have a Happy Holiday with Lorne Greene. If you appreciate a classic, masculine baritone, you’ll want to grab a copy. (I still have mine!)
Was Jesus really born in a barn? Did the angels actually sing? How many wise men were there, really?
There are lots of components of the Christmas story that we’ve come to accept as gospel truth, but that the Bible doesn’t actually teach. Here are some great resources to help us better understand the details surrounding the biblical account of the birth of Christ.
Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem?
The Bible doesn’t tell us, so we don’t know for sure. She could have ridden a donkey. She could have ridden in a cart. She could have walked. All Scripture tells us is that Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem. It doesn’t say how they got there.
Was Mary in active labor when she and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem?
It makes for dramatic nativity movies, but it’s very unlikely. God Himself had given Joseph the enormous and grave task of taking care of Mary and Jesus. You’ve seen first time dads and the weight of responsibility they feel to protect and provide for their wives and their own babies. This was God’s Son. Joseph must have been quaking in his sandals to make sure he got everything right. He certainly would not have waited until Mary was near her due date and risked her delivering the baby in the open country on the trip (not to mention outside of Bethlehem, which would have failed to fulfill prophecy).
Luke 2:6 says:
And while they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth.
“While they were there,” not “as soon as they got there.” “The time came,” not “IT’S TIME, JOSEPH! Find me a room NOW!” The phraseology of this verse suggests that Mary and Joseph spent some time in Bethlehem before Jesus was born. Rather than taking Mary to Bethlehem at the last minute, it’s much more likely that Joseph carefully prepared for the trip, made sure to get there with plenty of time to spare, and made arrangements to stay in Bethlehem until after the baby was born.
Was Jesus born in a barn or stable? And what about that innkeeper?
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
To our western minds, an inn is like a hotel – a business that rents rooms to travelers. But in biblical times, the cultural rules of hospitality dictated that travelers stay with family, friends, or anyone, even strangers, who would extend hospitality to them. Thus, there was no hotel-like “inn” in Bethlehem, and, of course, no innkeeper.
The Greek word kataluma, usually rendered as “inn” in Luke 2:7 is more accurately rendered “guest room” or “upper room” (of a home) – the same sort of “upper room” Jesus used for the Last Supper. (In fact, the Legacy Standard Bible -one of the most accurate translations available today- renders kataluma as “guest room”, not “inn,” as does Young’s Literal Translation {“guest chamber“}, and several other translations. The ESV cross references Luke 22:11.)
One of Joseph’s relatives would have welcomed him and Mary into their home when they got to Bethlehem. But because Bethlehem was packed with visitors arriving for the census, the guest room of the home they stayed in was likely already full. So instead of giving birth in the crowded upper room of the home, Mary moved to the lower room. This lower room would have had space for the animals to be brought in at night, complete with a feed trough (manger), giving her a convenient cradle for the little Lord Jesus to lay down His sweet head. Jesus was not born in the kind of barn or stable we think of in America and usually see in traditional nativity scenes.
Matthew 2:11 tells us that the magi visited Jesus in a house. I think a strong argument can be made that this was the same house Jesus was born in. Consider the timeline:
Luke 2:4-7: Jesus is born in a house in Bethlehem.
Luke 2:21: Jesus is circumcised (8 days old). Although it’s possible they moved to another house in those eight days, logistically, it seems unlikely.
Luke 2:22-38: Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for Mary’s purification ceremony (33 days after Jesus’ birth) and for the dedication of their firstborn. Jerusalem was only 6 miles from Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph knew the law and knew they would have to participate in these ceremonies. They were most likely initially planning to return to Nazareth at some point after this, over a month after Jesus’ birth. It would have made the most sense for them to stay put in the house where Jesus was born until after these ceremonies (although, again, the possibility exists that they could have gone to stay at the home of another relative during that time).
Some time elapses. We don’t know how much, but we do know it was under two years because Herod has all the Bethlehemite babies under two years old slaughtered (Matthew 2:16). Though Scripture doesn’t tell us definitively, it’s likely that Herod gave himself some margin for error for Jesus’ age and it was more like one year.
There could be any number of reasons Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem that long – if it was that long – in the same house where Jesus was born (for example: more work opportunities for Joseph, getting out of Nazareth where they might have been suspected of fornication and outcast, etc.), and it was not unheard of for houseguests to stay for extended periods of time.
Matthew 2:1-12: Magi visit Jesus in Bethlehem in a house (11) less than two years after Jesus was born. Again, unless they moved to another relative’s house, it makes sense that they were still staying in the house where Jesus was born. Joseph and Mary were poor, and if their intent was to live in Bethlehem, they might not have gotten settled enough, financially and logistically, to get their own house yet.
Matthew 2:13-15: Flight to Egypt. The way it’s worded it sounds like this happened fairly soon (like, within a couple of days, max) after the magi left.
We can’t say definitively – because Scripture doesn’t say definitively – but the scenario of Jesus being born in the same house the magi eventually visited seems to be a good fit with the details Scripture does definitively give us.
Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Was she in active labor when she arrived? Was Jesus born in a barn/stable? And what about that innkeeper? Time to bust some popular Christmas myths!
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes
Until I started researching this article, I didn’t realize that some people think Jesus never cried as a baby because of these two lines from the Christmas carol Away in a Manger.
I don’t think that was the hymnist’s intent. The stanza reads as though, in that particular moment when He woke up, Jesus was content and happy, not that He never ever cried.
Furthermore, we know from Scripture that Jesus was not only fully God, He was also fully human. Human babies cry when they’re hungry or tired or sick or in pain or a thousand other scenarios. That’s how they communicate. Jesus was a real live human baby who cried, nursed, spit up, burped, needed His diaper changed, fell down when He was learning to walk, and had to be potty trained. The only type of crying we know He never did was sinful crying – because He didn’t get His own way, because He was angry and frustrated, etc. – since we know Jesus was without sin.
Hark! Did the “herald angels” actually sing?
It’s possible, but we don’t know for sure. We know that the gloria in excelsis deo proclamation was spoken to the shepherds because Luke 2:13-14 says.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, โGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!โ
But it also says they were praising God. In the Bible, though praise can be expressed in many ways, singing is one of the most common and natural ways of praising God. So while we know the angels weren’t singing exclusively, there’s no reason they couldn’t have been singing at some point.
At least two (because the Bible speaks of them in the plural), but possibly a whole passel of them. Our minds are set to “three” because the Bible mentions that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, because of Christmas carols like We Three Kings, and because every nativity set comes equipped with three wise men. But it’s just as possible that two wise men gave three gifts, or that three gifts were given corporately by a larger group of wise men.
Did Jesus cry as a baby? Hark! Did the “herald angels” actually sing? Just how many wise men *were* there, exactly? Ready to bust some Christmas myths? Check this out!
The end of Luke 2 tells us the story of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple to offer the appropriate sacrifice for Him as “the first male to open the womb”. While they’re there, Simeon shows up and prophesies over Jesus and Mary. And “at that very hour” Anna also “began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” But nowhere does the passage even hint that they were married to each other, or that they even knew one another.
I think a lot of people mentally marry Anna to Simeon because their stories are back to back, because they showed up at the temple at the same time, and because we tend to assume they were both elderly. (Anna was at least 84, but, technically, we’re never told Simeon’s age or that he was elderly.) But verse 37 clearly tells us that Anna “lived as a widow”. She wasn’t married to anyone, including Simeon.
How many babies were murdered in the slaughter of the innocents?
Matthew 2:16 tells us that an enraged King Herod “sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under” in an attempt to murder Jesus. We tend to think of scores, even hundreds, of babies being murdered in this event which has come to be known as “The Slaughter [or Massacre] of the Innocents.” But as the beloved Christmas carol states, it’s “O little town of Bethlehem”. Bethlehem had a population of approximately 1500. Statistically speaking, scores or hundreds of baby boys age two and under in a population that size would have been impossible. Twelve to fifteen – still a horrifying tragedy- would be more accurate.
Does Christmas have pagan origins, and does that mean Christians shouldn’t celebrate it?
No, and no. Christians celebrating the incarnation of Christ is Christian, not pagan, and Christians are free to celebrate (or not) Christ’s incarnation any day of the year, including December 25.
Do some aspects of the celebration of Christmas find their origin in millennia-old paganism? Possibly. But are you participating in that paganism if you put up a tree or give gifts at Christmas? Probably not. The โChristmas is paganโ lore is so ancient and uncertain that most people arenโt even aware of it. How could you possibly be participating in paganism if youโre not even aware of its existence, you have no intention of participating in it, and it has nothing to do with your reasons for celebrating?
Does Christmas have Catholic origins, and does that mean Christians shouldn’t celebrate it?
Maybe you’ve heard people say that the word โChristmasโ means โChristโs mass,โ so Christmas is Roman Catholic and Christians shouldnโt celebrate it or use the word โChristmasโ.
Itโs true that the word โChristmasโ is a shortened form of โChristโs massโ. It first appeared in English usage as Crฤซstesmรฆsse in 10381, and, at that time, it did refer to the Roman Catholic mass celebrating the birth of Christ.
Youโll note that 1038 was long before the Protestant Reformation. In 1038, Roman Catholicism was the primary manifestation of any form of Christianity. There was no other church. So, at that time, if you were going to refer to a religious observance of the birth of Christ, you naturally would have couched it in Catholic vernacular. You would not have had any other frame of reference for Christianity.
But the word โChristmasโ has come a long way in the last thousand years. It no longer refers exclusively or primarily to a Roman Catholic mass. It refers to all kinds of things surrounding December 25 and the birth of Christ, from a Christmas worship service at your own doctrinally sound church to Christmas sales, presents, trees, carols, 5Ks, parties and everything else under the sun that takes place this time of year. Itโs perfectly fine for Christians to use the word โChristmasโ. I mean, โThursdayโ started out as โThorโs Day“. Itโs actually named after a false god, and none of us bat an eye when it rolls around every week, so why would โChristmasโ be problematic?
But if you have a sensitive conscience and it bothers you to use the word โChristmas,โ why not try on โIncarnation Dayโ and see how it fits? Or maybe โNoelโ? It derives from Old French and means โbirthโ or โbirthdayโ1.
As for celebrating Christmas, itโs not required by Scripture, so you donโt have to observe the day if you donโt want to, but I would plead with you, donโt use โbecause itโs Catholicโ as your reason. Donโt dignify that evil, apostate religious system โ which has sent millions to Hell โ with the power to be a factor in your spiritual decision making. Donโt let it keep you from celebrating the birth of your Lord in the biblical way of your choosing. They donโt have that right, and you shouldnโt give them that power. I would encourage you to read my article Is Christmas Pagan?. Everything in it applies to Catholicism as well.
Does Jeremiah 10:3-4 (and other passages) prohibit Christmas trees?
for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Jeremiah 10:3-4
Itโs imperative to look to Scripture to make sure that none of our Christmas traditions conflict with Godโs Word. But we need to make sure we’re handling God’s Word rightly and in context.
If we read all of Jeremiah 10, it’s very clear that the entire chapter is talking about idol worship. The English Standard Version even has a little heading at the top that says, โIdols and the Living Godโ.
Verses 3-4 of Jeremiah 10 are not referring to Christmas trees. They’re talking about ancient pagans – not Christians – chopping down trees to create wooden idols to worship, not chopping down a tree and decorating it – as is – in honor of the birth of Christ, or for any other reason. Itโs talking about the crafting of wooden idols.
We know this because of the phrase in verse 3, “worked by the hands of a craftsman”. Some translations render it “a craftsman shapes it with his chisel”. The craftsman carved a piece of wood into an idol which was then often dipped into or plated with gold or silver. This is exactly whatโs being described in verses 8-9:
the instruction of idols is but wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; [the clothing the craftsman would dress the idols in] they are all the work of skilled men.
Idol worship is the “custom of the peoples (pagans) that is vanity,โ as it says in verse 3, and that is what God prohibits in this passage, not Christmas trees.
Neither do the passages of Scripture that refer to idol worship taking place under โevery green treeโ prohibit Christmas trees. I can only surmise this false belief came into being because โevery green treeโ sounds like โevergreen tree,โ which is what Christmas trees are. There are several verses that use this phrase, โevery green tree.โ Hereโs one of them:
You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. Deuteronomy 12:2
Again, all of the verses that use this phrase are talking about idol worship, because thatโs apparently where the idol worship took place. The tree itself wasnโt intrinsically evil, itโs the fact that people were using it in their idol worship.
So, unless you’re worshiping your Christmas tree as an idol, or youโre using your Christmas tree as some sort of altar from which to worship an idol, your Christmas tree itself isnโt evil. You donโt have to have a Christmas tree in your house if you donโt want one, but you canโt use these Scripture passages to justify your choice or to bind the consciences of other Believers.
Isn’t using the term “X-mas” somehow taking Christ out of Christmas?
No. But itโs kind of understandable that people would think that the โXโ in X-mas is removing Christ or genericizing Christmas. We use the letter X as an unknown variable in math. We might see a detergent commercial in which one of the bottles is labeled โbrand Xโ instead of its real name. So it can kind of seem like X is a place-filler or that it can stand for practically anything.
But thatโs not the case with the X in X-mas. That X has a finite value. X = 1, the One and only, Jesus Christ. How do we know that?
In the term X-mas, rather than the letter X taking Christ out of Christmas, the letter X actually stands for Christ.
There are lots of myths about Christmas flying around out there. And there are lots of sentimental and striking details of the Christmas story we’ve come to embrace over the years. But it’s imperative that we get our theology from the Bible, not Christmas carols, traditions, and assumptions. Yet even more important than donkeys and stables and trees is why Jesus came – to save sinners like you and me.
The “Advent Traditions” segment of Dr. James White’s podcast is the segment relevant to this article. It runs from 0:00 – 13:44.
Please note, I am not thoroughly familiar with the theology of every site linked above. I have only vetted the specific articles that are linked. I do not endorse anything at the sites above that conflict with my theology as outlined in my “Statement of Faith” and “Welcome” tabs at the top of this page. Please reject any theology you may come across at these sites that conflicts with God’s Word.
Have you ever heard someone say that nativity scenes, Christmas ornaments, Christmas pageants, and other Christmas items or activities which portray the baby Jesus (with a figurine, a doll, a live baby, pictures, etc.) break the second Commandment even though the portrayal of the baby Jesus isn’t being worshiped?
Some of my brothers and sisters in Christ believe that any representation of Jesus – be it in a manger scene, a painting, a movie, pictures of Jesus in children’s Bibles, flannelgraphs, Bible story pictures used for teaching children or on the mission field, etc. – violates the second Commandment…
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4-6
…whether or not that representation of Jesus is being worshiped. It is the mere act of making or displaying the representation which breaks the Commandment.
This is not something any church I’ve ever been a member of has taught, but because I’ve heard this point of doctrine from theologically sound friends I respect, I wanted to take a closer look at the pertinent Scriptures to make sure I wasn’t doing something wrong. I’ve had nativity scenes and children’s Bibles and used flannelgraphs and been in Christmas musicals that depict Jesus all my life and never gave it a second thought. But if having and doing those things conflicts with Scripture, I want to stop.
But, having examined the Scriptures in context, while I respect and admire my friends’ desire to honor the Lord by not using representations of Him, I simply don’t find that the Bible prohibits occasionally depicting Jesus in reverent, not-for-the-purpose-of-worship ways. Here’s why:
Having examined the Scriptures in context, I simply don’t find that the Bible prohibits occasionally depicting Jesus in reverent, not-for-the-purpose-of-worship ways. Here’s why…
Consider the macro-context of Exodus 20. What was going on in the history and culture of Israel at that time? God was setting Israel apart from other nations as His own special possession and establishing Israel as a nation. And what was the preeminent characteristic that was to set Israel apart from the pagan nations? Israel was to be a witness to all the nations of the one true God. They were not to worship idols (which, at that time, were generally carved figures of created things). Not instead of God. Not in addition to God. Not at all. The second Commandment is a command not to worship carved figures as idols.
2.
Examine the immediate context of Exodus 20:4-6. It follows verses 1-3, which establish the supremacy of God above all other gods, and specifically state that Israel is not to worship any other gods.
3.
Take a close look at the content of Exodus 20:4-6. The passage doesn’t say anything about making a representation of God Himself. Jesus had not yet been born when this was written, so this passage could not have been talking about making a representation of Jesus. It talks about making representations of created things in the sky (planets, the sun, etc.), on the earth, and in the water, and worshiping them. And certainly, calling any graven images “God” and worshiping them as God would also be prohibited (Remember the golden calf incidents?)
4.
It would seem to me that to be consistent in saying “no representations of Jesus” folks who hold to this belief would also have to say “no representations of anything” because what Exodus 20:4 plainly says is “you shall not make for yourself…any likeness of anything.” No photographs of anything, no drawings, paintings, or sculpture of anything, no Xeroxing anything, nothing. In fact, I think that would be closer to the actual wording of the passage than “no representations of Jesus,” which, again, this passage does not mention.
There are at least two occasions in the Old Testament in which God instructs Moses to make a graven figure, and both of these instances are far more conducive to actual worship of the figures than a nativity scene or a Sunday School flannelgraph.
There are at least two occasions in the Old Testament in which God instructs Moses to make a graven figure, and both of these instances are far more conducive to actual worship of the figures than a nativity scene.
The first instance – just five chapters after the second Commandment – is found in God’s instructions for the Ark of the Covenant. God instructs Moses to have the people make two cherubim (angels) for the mercy seat (lid) of the Ark. They were not to worship the cherubim (or the Ark), but the Ark was the holiest object used in Israel’s worship ceremonies. It would have been easy for the people to cross the line and worship it or the cherubim, yet God commanded the making of these not-for-worship figures to point the people to Him. (And guess what was put into the Ark right underneath those graven figures? The two tablets of the 10 Commandments, including the second Commandment.) The second instance was when God instructed Moses to make the bronze serpent. Anyone who had been fatally snake-bitten could look up at the serpent and his life would be spared. How much more likely would an Israelite have been to worship the bronze serpent, commissioned by God and instrumental in saving his life than we are to worship a picture of Jesus in a children’s Bible? Jesus Himself said that this graven figure pointed ahead to His death on the cross, using it as an illustration of His crucifixion. Much like a nativity scene is an illustration of His incarnation. Now, if God Himself commissioned the casting of these figures of created things, not to be worshiped, but as tools to point people to Himself, would it stand to reason that He would prohibit reverent representations of Christ that point to or teach about Him? Comparing the second Commandment with these two instances of graven figures demonstrates to us that God expects His people to be able to distinguish between using objects as tools or illustrations that point to Him and worshiping those objects.
God expects His people to be able to distinguish between using objects as tools or illustrations that point to Him and worshiping those objects.
“But if you see pictorial representations of Jesus, you’ll have those images in your mind, and they’ll pop up in your head while you’re worshiping or praying, and then you’ll be worshiping those mental pictures of Jesus, and that’s a violation of the second Commandment.”
If that’s an issue for you, then you definitely shouldn’t view representations of Jesus. But you need to understand that not everyone’s brain works that way. Sometimes when we’re singing in church, an image of my husband, or children, or a beautiful sunset, or whatever the lyrics evoke will pop up in my head. Does that mean I’m worshiping any of those things? Of course not. And for me – and others, I’m sure – any representation I’ve seen of Jesus that happens to pop into my brain is on the same level as those other things. It’s just some random thing I’ve been reminded of, not something I’m worshiping, and it flits out just as quickly as it flitted in.
“But having a pictorial representation of Jesus in your head is worshiping that image.”
No, that is definitionally not the case. Thinking of something is not the same thing as worshiping it. If it were, we’d be guilty of idol worship every time a picture of anything popped up in our brains. There’s a difference between a picture of something randomly popping up in your mind and intentional, purposeful worship.
“But depicting Jesus pictorially, in a nativity scene, or otherwise, could cause a brother or sister who does believe it’s a second Commandment violation to stumble.”
That’s absolutely true, and for that reason, those of us who have the freedom of conscience to use representations of Jesus ought to fulfill our responsibility to those brothers and sisters in Christ. As I’ve learned more about their side of the issue, I have all but eliminated using pictorial representations of Jesus on my blog, social media, etc. I don’t normally display any representations of Jesus in my home, but if I had a friend coming over at Christmas who was sensitive to this, I would certainly remove the baby Jesuses from all of my nativity scenes until she went home. My freedom of conscience comes with a responsibility of love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
My freedom of conscience comes with a responsibility of love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
In the end, this issue is an issue of Christian liberty. It is not a sin nor a violation of the second Commandment to use occasional reverent representations of Christ to point people to Him. It is also not a sin to desire to honor the Lord by refraining from using representations of Christ and finding other ways to point people to Him. Whichever side of the issue we come down on, let us make sure we are respectful and loving to those on the other side, not making a law for them where no law exists, nor accusing one side of sin or the other of legalism.
OK, I just thought this was hilarious. Josh is Baptist. John is Presbyterian. And these two images capture the essence of this article really well. John made a great point about his own theology using humor. I love that.โฅ๏ธ
