So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18
The context for these meditations is the fact that Paul, though not under the law for salvation, still followed some of the Jewish customs. That makes a point that all traditions, even if not Christian, are not necessarily bad. Yesterday we sought to make the point that there are Christmas traditions that are not about Christ that may indeed be harmless, and therefore okay to observe—so long as they do not eclipse the importance of Christ in our Christmas celebrations.
This time I would like to suggest that some ways in which we may celebrate Christmas may indeed be dangerous, or even wrong. There are some Christmas traditions that are actually bad, and therefore wrong for Christians. A prime example of this is a religious/cultural tradition that places more emphasis on Jesus’ mother, Mary, than on the incarnation of the Son of God Himself. This is just plain wrong and Christians who grew up with those traditions must not participate in them any longer.
An example of a dangerous form of celebrating Christmas involves alcohol. While drinking alcohol is not sinful, drunkenness most certainly is a serious sin that can have a ripple effect that causes even more harm. If you cannot drink without drinking to the point that you feel the affects of the alcohol, you should not drink at all. I would add to that, if you celebrate with people who cannot drink without drinking too much, you should rethink whether you should drink with them, or in their presence. Your responsible drinking that encourages others’ irresponsible drinking is at best a lack of love, and at worst, partnership in someone else’s sin. And if you cannot celebrate without alcohol, you may very well have a problem you do not realize you have.
A shepherd’s advice: Let us celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus without participating in idolatry or inordinate revelry.
Tomorrow: What about Santa?