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A False Christmas
Scripture Reading — Matthew 2:7-8
“As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
— Matthew 2:8
Christmas in the Western world has become a highly secularized holiday. While the celebration still bears the name of Christ, the season marks a time of gifts and parties, lights and decorations. And while many of those themes are relatively harmless, they do not call attention to the worship of Christ that should be at the center of the holiday celebrations.
It’s sad that the priests and scholars who knew the prophecy about the Savior’s birth weren’t interested enough to see if it was fulfilled, despite the fact that Bethlehem was only a few miles from Jerusalem. And Herod, who was interested because he felt threatened, didn’t want to hear about the kind of king God desired—a gentle ruler and shepherd (Matthew 2:6). At times, we too have our tendencies to ignore what we know about God’s promises and to try to maintain our own sense of authority and comfort.
In just a few days Christmas will be here. Perhaps you’ve already begun your celebrations, and you’re enjoying the traditions our culture has built up around this holiday.
As we celebrate, let’s be careful not to let our traditions or attitudes bring about a false Christmas that rejects the worship of Jesus. Instead of staying in our own comfortable palaces, let us go, as the Magi did, to seek God’s promised Savior.
Gracious God, we confess how easy it is to get caught up in our own version of Christmas and miss the wonder of the Savior’s birth. Forgive us, and fix our attention on Jesus. Amen.
About the author — Joel Vande Werken
Joel Vande Werken is the director of ecclesiastical governance for the Christian Reformed Church in North America in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served for over seventeen years as a church pastor in Sussex, New Jersey, and in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, before moving to Michigan in 2024. He and his wife, Brandie, have five children.
Scripture Reading — Matthew 2:7-8
“As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
— Matthew 2:8
Christmas in the Western world has become a highly secularized holiday. While the celebration still bears the name of Christ, the season marks a time of gifts and parties, lights and decorations. And while many of those themes are relatively harmless, they do not call attention to the worship of Christ that should be at the center of the holiday celebrations.
It’s sad that the priests and scholars who knew the prophecy about the Savior’s birth weren’t interested enough to see if it was fulfilled, despite the fact that Bethlehem was only a few miles from Jerusalem. And Herod, who was interested because he felt threatened, didn’t want to hear about the kind of king God desired—a gentle ruler and shepherd (Matthew 2:6). At times, we too have our tendencies to ignore what we know about God’s promises and to try to maintain our own sense of authority and comfort.
In just a few days Christmas will be here. Perhaps you’ve already begun your celebrations, and you’re enjoying the traditions our culture has built up around this holiday.
As we celebrate, let’s be careful not to let our traditions or attitudes bring about a false Christmas that rejects the worship of Jesus. Instead of staying in our own comfortable palaces, let us go, as the Magi did, to seek God’s promised Savior.
Gracious God, we confess how easy it is to get caught up in our own version of Christmas and miss the wonder of the Savior’s birth. Forgive us, and fix our attention on Jesus. Amen.
About the author — Joel Vande Werken
Joel Vande Werken is the director of ecclesiastical governance for the Christian Reformed Church in North America in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served for over seventeen years as a church pastor in Sussex, New Jersey, and in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, before moving to Michigan in 2024. He and his wife, Brandie, have five children.
