English translation of Kutlayalım…, from the author’s Miras archive. Written in the pandemic-era context of 2020. The circumstances described are those of the original article. Scripture passages are rendered from the Turkish source.
Christmas, the feast of Christ’s birth, is a time for celebration. It is one of those rare things in our journey through life truly worth celebrating. When you enter its peace, understand its real meaning, and share in its joy, very little can take its place.
Even those who do not yet belong to Christ Jesus often participate in Christmas’s energy and atmosphere, helped along by popular culture. Christmas has become an undeniable part of our lives. Whether it is regarded as something strange, like a New Year celebration, or dismissed as a “foreign invention,” its influence cannot be escaped. It is connected to a source that changed the destiny and future of the whole world: our Lord’s coming to earth, taking flesh as a baby in Christ Jesus, to take away the world’s sin.
This coming united human existence with God’s presence and marked the beginning of the final stage in his unique plan of salvation. Christmas therefore has an undeniable value and importance. It calls the whole world to witness this indescribable act and transformation.
When we think of Christmas, magnificent decorations, music, food, and festivities naturally come to mind. Although some have shifted from a Christ-centered Christmas to one centered on celebration itself, the source is clear. The English word “Christmas” contains “Christ.” Whatever popular culture or capitalist ambition may say, the reality we celebrate is the opportunity for salvation Christ brought to earth: the baby born in the manger is God himself. The one who was to be born of a virgin has been born. The Savior awaited by kings on the strength of prophecy has come. The morning star announced by the signs has taken his place in history. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Looking at Christmas’s historical development, we can see how, toward the end of the nineteenth century, it developed popular figures that sometimes overshadowed its essential message. For some reform-minded Protestants, separating Christmas from these shadows is particularly important. Even without opposing tradition, they emphasize keeping tradition connected to the central message as a faithful response.
Historic churches do not always draw the boundary so narrowly. They welcome some accompanying figures that contribute to Christmas joy and accept additional practices rooted in peoples’ cultures. My basic conviction is that we should celebrate Christmas. That does not mean any way of celebrating will do. A Christmas that does not center on Christ’s birth loses much of its meaning. A feast reduced to a cultural event loses both its purpose and its message.
Yet I believe we must also remember the celebration. Sometimes focusing solely on the message produces a religious approach far removed from a feast’s festive character. Certainly, we work to keep this precious festival from revolving around goblins, spirits, fairy-tale characters, or gifts, and we proclaim that it arises from Christianity’s foundational faith. But we can also acknowledge that it deserves a celebration—with our most joyful songs, our finest clothes, and enthusiastic gatherings.
As we face a Christmas that may be less exuberant because of the pandemic, sustaining its joy in our homes, churches, or wherever we find ourselves is especially meaningful. If we celebrate Christ’s birth, crowning the impact of that birth with a joy worthy of its power and meaning is almost a duty. This is the spirit of our message.
Let others speak of another, almost parallel Christmas shaped by popular culture. Their concern may be to honor a year or a season. We proclaim our Lord Christ Jesus and his humble coming into the world. This is our feast, and it is worth celebrating. We should decorate our homes, gather with friends, and, where possible, glorify the Lord together.
One of the most effective responses to suffering, pandemic, and sickness may be to proclaim Christ’s presence above them all and celebrate a joyful feast that has not surrendered to evil. We will therefore continue encouraging one another, celebrating, and telling the story. A blessed feast to you all. May that blessed birth, which brought salvation to the nations, become an opportunity for salvation in our own lives.
Merry Christmas.