Some Christmas Origin Thoughts...

There is so much Christmas themed stuff these next few weeks that it can get exhausting. We have moved from a “minor”  religious observation in the early centuries to a full blown commercialized celebration: a shopping holiday called “Black Friday” and then “Small Business Saturday” followed by “Cyber Monday.” And that’s still about a month before the actual date. Rampant consumption does not seem to have much to do with the Christian religious teachings. 

I understand that the reader (singular, but I am hoping for more readers) may not agree that Christmas is a “minor” thing. Rather, based on television commercials, Hallmark movies, and general popular culture, Christmas must be the most important event ever. And that includes the Superbowl. 

However, it is probably important to note that a lot of what we "understand" about Christmas is more from tradition and lore than actual historical events. Evidence suggests that the birth of Jesus was not recognized, or even acknowledged, in early Christian writings. 

The date of the birth of Jesus is disputed. Significant religious scholarship shows that religious leaders selected December 25th as the birth of a new savior because that was the winter solstice. They just missed the solstice by a few days; it’s December 21st. But the solstice is the perfect time for a savior to be born--it’s the shortest light day of the year and it is easy to see that with there being less and less sunlight that hope is low. 

I believe the Christmas message should be, in spite of all the man made machinations about the date and the different Bible versions, that at our lowest we can have hope, faith, and belief. And strive to be better.