Why I Love Christmas

Hello, welcome to Self Talk, I'm Dr. Ray Self. This is going to be a little bit of a different show. I'm going to talk about Christmas and why I love Christmas. And yeah, I know it's got some Pagan roots to it, but I'm going to tell you why I love it anyway. This is going to be a fun show, I think you'll like it a lot, and I think it'll help you. The show is sponsored by the International College of Ministry at icmcollege.org. We're enrolling now. We also got a special going on: $400 free tuition grant when you enroll before Christmas; check it out. Love you much, thank you for listening to the show, this is Dr. Ray Self.

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Okay, here we go. Episode 199, can you believe it? 199 episodes. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this show, I thank you for this time together. I thank you for each person listening to me. I pray, Father, that my voice, my words, will be a blessing to them. Holy Spirit, you are welcome. You're welcome here, you're welcome in this show, you're welcome to open up our ears and our hearts to receive what you have for us today. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen, amen. Christmas, you've heard it all. It's, it's all about merchandising, it's about money, right? It's about advertising and exploitation. I want to tell you something, I love Christmas. I love the lights, I love the Christmas trees, I love the presents, I love the eggnog, I love Christmas carols. You know, I love all the– I love the music, I even love the goofy stuff, “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,” “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer…” you know, “chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” I love all that stuff. I do…and I do…And you know, I love the, the, the fantasy of Santa Claus that the kids get into. And you'll say, “Well, I thought you're a Holy Spirit-filled Christian; how, how can you,” you know, “how can you do that? How can you be like that?” and, and I've got an answer for that I don't want you to– hear me, there's an answer for this. You know, I'm a spiritual guy. I'm a holy, spiritual guy. I'm, I'm, I'm a Jesus guy. I'm a Jesus freak, and I love Christmas and I love everything about it…Well, I guess you can say there's some things I don't really enjoy, but let me talk about Christmas. 

So how did it begin? And why is it December 25th? And this is where the quote, Pagan roots come in. December 25th - well, what is December 25th? That is the Winter Solstice, okay? So let's kind of look at that, all right? So the origins of Christmas can be traced back to a Pagan Winter Solstice celebration. See that's where people, “Oh. Christmas has got a Pagan root.” So in ancient Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the Festival of Saturnalia. It was a week-long celebration in honor of the god, Saturn. Well, this doesn't sound too good, does it, folks? During this time, social norms were relaxed, gift-giving and feasting were common, okay? Uh, in northern Europe, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the Festival of Yule. You've heard about that? Festival of Yule. Also marked by feasting and gift-giving. So, in the early years of Christianity, the birth of Christ was not celebrated as a separate holiday, okay? Um, it was celebrated along with the Advent and Easter, kind of, it's kind of all mixed together, all right? But then, something happened in the 4th Century. In the 4th Century, the Roman emperor, Constantine, declared Christianity is the official religion of the Roman Empire. Woo, things have changed now, things have changed, the ball game’s changed. So, with this newfound power, Christians began to establish their own traditions, and a celebration of Christmas began to take shape, okay? So…now the exact date of Jesus’ birth was not known, I mean, some right now will tell you - I've heard, I've heard March, I've heard September, that's a whole nother story. So the early Christians, [coughs] excuse me, decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25th, the same day as the Pagan Winter Solstice celebrations. By choosing this date, the Christians hoped to co-opt the Pagan celebrations and make it easier for Pagans to convert to Christianity. So they're taking advantage. So, here you've got the Pagans are already celebrating the Winter Solstice, they think, “Aha, we'll turn this into Christmas and we'll get these Pagans to convert. To get saved.” So the Christians sort of took advantage of the Winter Solstice with a planl with a, with– it's kind of a, it's a, you know, they're already here, they're celebrating, the festival is already going on, let’s show them what the truth is - the truth is Christ; and that's how Christmas began. And then it began to spread throughout the Christian world and by the Middle Ages…by the Middle Ages it was a very important religious holiday. 

But I know, you know, ever since I can remember, people complain about the merchandising of Christmas. You know, “It's all about making money, it's all about making money.” Well, yeah, retailers do make a lot of money during Christmas. Why do they make money? Because we are generously giving gifts to people. You know, I like to give. The Bible talks about being a generous giver, right? Okay? It's about– we should be generous. So to me, giving gifts is about being generous; it's also an act of love. You know, I like to give gifts for no reason. But, during Christmas, I have a reason. There's– it's a tradition. Do I have to celebrate this? No, I do not, but I choose to, to show my love to my children, to my wife, to my grandchildren, and to my friends with the giving of gifts. And I know it's– maybe it's overdone, maybe we spend too much money, but it's a lot of fun, and it's, it's a time when families come together, it's a time of sharing, it, it's a time of love, it's a time of laughter, it's a time of, of, of fellowship; there's so many positives with it. And yeah, there's this Christmas tree, there's some Pagan roots to that, I won't get into that. 

But here's the thing, here's the big picture for me. If you know me, you know I'm always about the big picture. The big picture is…here, you know, I know, for instance, in my neighborhood - I live in Winter Park, Florida - and in my, my neighborhood, there's Christmas lights going up all over the place. And I know that some of my neighbors, they, they're, if they're Christian, it's not really evident, but they're putting up all these lights and they're decorating, and I say, “You know what they're doing? Maybe it's not intentional, but they're celebrating Jesus. Every time I see a Christmas light, it wouldn't be Christmas lights, there wouldn't be Christmas decorations if for not for the fact that they are celebrating Jesus.” To me, every time I see a Christmas tree, even a snowman or a reindeer, which is all fantasy, but it's all there because of the birth of Jesus. It's all a reminder of Jesus. It's all there– the whole thing began as a celebration of the birth of Christ, and what is wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ? It is a celebration, and yeah, we've gone overboard. We got trees and lights and, and cookies and, and, and people wearing ugly sweaters, and we got parties and all this kind of stuff. But the whole reason for all of it is because it wouldn't be here if it were not for the birth of Christ. 

And so when I see it, when I see all the stuff going on and - yeah, it's overdone, and the ridiculous movies and all that kind of stuff, and it's way overdone. And then you have the, the fantasies of the elves and Santa Claus, all that kind of stuff. And it's all ridiculous, but it wouldn't be here if it were not for Christ. The whole thing is actually about Jesus. You say, “how is Santa Claus about Jesus?” Well, Santa Claus is just– is a, is a, is a imaginary figure that Coca-Cola came up with - actually, I think in the 1930s, Coca-Cola or maybe before that. Coca-Cola developed this, this, this figure called Santa Claus and based on the…what is it? The old St. Nick - was a European guy who would go around putting gifts in people's socks. But the point is it's all really a reminder of Christ. None of this would be taking place. There'd be not one single little LED Christmas bulb sparkling if it were not for the birth of Jesus. And so, what I see is all the overborne, crazy, wild decorations and trees and ornaments and overeating and all this stuff is because of Jesus. It's a reminder to me, and maybe not to everyone. To me, it's a constant reminder. You know what we're celebrating? The birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, God Himself coming to earth and being born in a manger, be– giving up His heavenly throne, coming to earth to save us. Giving up His rights and His privileges to come to earth to be born as a man, to live as a man, to be tempted as we were, and, and to show us the way of truth, to show us how to walk the Christian walk; and then ultimately, give His life on the cross as a payment for our sins and then rise from the dead on the third day showing victory over sin. And he did all of this for us. 

And so, every Christmas light reminds me of this, every Christmas tree reminds me of this, every Christmas gift reminds me of this. And maybe with this podcast, when you see a Christmas gift and you see a Christmas tree and you see gaudy ornaments and ugly Christmas sweaters, you know, you know what? None of this would be here except for the fact that we're celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. That's what it is. And that's why I don't hate Christmas, I like Christmas. You know, why don't we celebrate the birth of Jesus every day? I don't know. We should. We should also celebrate the life of Jesus; we should celebrate the fact that He died on the cross and more than anything, we should celebrate His resurrection because that is our victory. You know, we were– we, we died with Christ on the cross, the Bible says, and we, we rose with Him from the grave. By faith, by faith. My sins are forgiven and by faith, not only are my sins are forgiven, but I'm born again and become a new creature - that's the resurrection. And so, the three great events: we have the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ - the rebirth of Christ, and in Christ, I've been rebirthed as well. Yes, I celebrate Christmas; yes, I love Christmas; yes, I love it all…I do…and I get into it, and I'm sentimental about it. But I do it…to me, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jesus. 

And so, all my neighbors and all the neighborhood people are– who, who probably go to church probably never or maybe once a year…or maybe twice a year, Easter and Christmas Eve, but they put up the lights to celebrate Jesus. So you know, they may not realize what they're doing, they not– may not be intentionally doing it, but they're celebrating Jesus. The world is lighting up to celebrate Jesus, the world is giving gifts to celebrate Jesus. We're doing this to celebrate Jesus. And we make up games, and we have these little fantasy figures called Santa Claus and reindeers, and elves. Why do we even have that to begin with? To celebrate Jesus. To play with the kids, to give the kids something to, to play with, to, to have some fun with the kids. Kids have done fantasy games for years. “Well, you know, Santa Claus is not real; you shouldn't teach your kids that.” Come on. Kids have imagination. If– maybe it's not, if it's not Santa Claus, they're imagining other things. They have imaginary play friends, they, they, they do a– they imagine play, they imagine things when they play. My grandson, he, he has little– gets little toy cars and he plays imaginary games with his toy cars. You know, girls play imaginary games with their little toy dolls. Kids are…they have imagination, that's how they play, that's how they grow, that's how they, how they mature, and so, Santa Claus is an imagination. It's a fantasy, but it's just an imagination. Just like all the other imaginations that kids have. And so yeah, it, it's not the truth, of course not. It's, it's an imagination, it's a game, it's fun, that's all it is; it's fun. But even that whole thing about Santa Claus and elves - there would be no Santa Claus or elf if it were not for the birth of Jesus, Hallelujah! And that's what I wanted to say in this little podcast, Merry Christmas to you. Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas to you. 

Yeah, we overdo it and yeah, we've overblown it with all the stuff and all the money and the merchandise and this sort of stuff, but you know what? Everything we're doing would not even happen if it were not for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; and I celebrate the birth of Jesus, I celebrate the life of Jesus, I celebrate His death and His resurrection and I celebrate that He's still alive and He's still talking to me and you through the Holy Spirit and that's my savior and that's my Lord. I wish Christmas was every day. We give you praise and honor. Thank you for listening to my show. God bless you. This is Dr. Ray.

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Okay, that concludes episode 199, Why I love Christmas. And I do. I was not kidding, I actually do love it because why? Because it reminds me of Jesus Christ, and I pray now every time you look at a Christmas light or Christmas tree or give a gift, you know, you wouldn't do any of it if it were not for Jesus. Amen. He is the Alpha and Omega who was and is and is to come. Apart from Him, nothing exists, and that's why there is Christmas, okay? Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for being a part of this show. It's sponsored by the International College of Ministry, and hey, right now we're giving away $400 of free tuition. $400 of free tuition. Now listen, a, a college degree with International College of Ministry is not very expensive to begin with. You're looking at an entire bachelor's program for thirty-five to thirty-nine hundred dollars. You can complete it in a year and if you enroll with us before December 25th, 2024, at icmcollege.org, you'll receive $400 off your bill. And the whole bill, it’s only gonna be about 35,00 bucks to begin with. So you're talking about a 4-year– accredited by ACI under the Florida Department of Education degree, okay, as an ecclesiastical degree; recognized by the Florida Department of Education; accredited by ACI, at icmcollege.org. You got a call a God on your life, it's time to get serious about it. Get equipped, get your degree in ministry or counseling, or theology. Don't wait. Enroll now, icmcollege.org. This is Dr. Ray, and Merry Christmas to you. God bless you.