Should Christians celebrate Holidays like Christmas and Easter?
VideoTranscript
This is the video’s transcript, lightly formatted. Tap a time to jump to that moment.
In the beginning, there was darkness. The earth was without form and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. This was the scene described in the first chapter of Genesis before God spoke those powerful words, "Let there be light." And there was light. God saw the light that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness.
God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And so began the first day of creation. You know, from that moment forward, God established patterns of time. He marked them by light and darkness, by seasons and days and years. Think about it. The sun, moon, and stars weren't just put in the heavens to give light. They were there to be for signs and seasons and for days and years.
God literally wo the concept of special times into the fabric of creation itself. It's like a composer writing rests and crescendos into a musical score. The music isn't just about the notes being played, but alo also about the rhythm, the pauses, and the moments of emphasis. In the same way, God didn't just create an endless stream of identical days. He created a rhythm to time itself with special moments meant to stand out from the ordinary. And as we flip through scripture, we see God constantly calling his people to remember. Remember when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt?
God established the Passover, a feast they were to celebrate forever. The command was crystal clear. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations as a statute forever. You shall keep it as a feast. That's from Exodus 12:14. And God didn't stop there. In Leviticus 23, there's a whole calendar of feasts and hols.
Passover, unleaven bread, first fruits, Pentecost, trumpets, day of atonement, and tabernacles. Each of these celebrations served a purpose. They were reminders of God's faithfulness, teaching tools for future generations, and shadows pointing to the coming Messiah. Think of these feasts like family photo albums. When you flip through old pictures, they help you remember important moments. Your birthdays, your graduations, your weddings, great vacations. Those photos aren't just paper and ink.
They connect you to your history and identity. Well, in the same way, these biblical feasts weren't just religious rituals. They were living memories that connected God's people to their story and reminded them of who they really were. Those celebrations shaped the rhythm of God's people's lives. They created space to pause from daily work, to come together as a community, to remember what God had done, and to look forward to his promises. These weren't just religious obligations. They were meaningful ceremonies packed with spiritual significance.
When Jesus walked this earth, he observed these festivals. John's gospel showed Jesus traveling to Jerusalem for various feasts. At Passover, he became the ultimate Passover lamb, offering himself as the sacrifice that would truly deliver us from sin and death. During the feast of tabernacles, he stood up and announced, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Jesus didn't do away with these celebrations. He fulfilled them, showing us their deeper meaning.
It's like someone who's only seen the blueprint of a house finally seeing the completed building. The blueprint was accurate and it was valuable, but the actual house reveals the full picture of what was only hinted at in the drawing. Jesus didn't throw away the blueprint. He showed us the magnificent structure it was pointing to all along. Now, the early church, which was mostly Jewish believers at first, kept observing many of the traditional feasts, but now they understood them through the lens of what Christ had fulfilled. But as more Gentiles from different cultural backgrounds joined the church, questions started to come up about which of these traditions should continue. And we see this tension in Paul's words in Romans 14:5 and 6.
One person esteems one day as better than another while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord. And that brings us to our question today. What about modern Christian holidays? Christmas, Easter, Pentecost. These weren't commanded in scripture like the Jewish feasts were.
They developed naturally as the church wanted to commemorate the big events of our faith. Christ's birth, his death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. So, what should we make of these celebrations? Are they essential to our faith? Should all Christians observe them the same way, or is there room for different practices? Well, to explore this, let's look at a fascinating story in Acts chapter 10. Peter is on a rooftop in Japa around noon, and he's hungry.
Well, while he's waiting for his food, he falls into a trance and sees heaven opened up with something like a large sheep coming down by its four corners. In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. And a voice says to him, "Rise, Peter, kill, and eat." But Peter responds, "By no means, Lord, for I've never eaten anything that is common or unclean." The voice comes again. "What God has made clean, do not call common." This happens three times, and then the vision ends.
Well, this leaves Peter confused. His whole life, he followed those dietary laws that separated Jews from Gentiles. These weren't just food preferences. They were boundary markers of Jewish identity, reminders of their special relationship with God, and now God seemed to be taking down those boundaries. It's like someone who grew up in a family where certain traditions were sacred. Maybe they always had Sunday dinner together, or maybe they never missed the annual family reunion. These weren't just activities for the family.
They formed a part of their identity. Now imagine being told that those boundaries could be crossed, that the family could expand to include those who didn't share those traditions. That would require a complete shift in the way they thought. Well, while Peter is still thinking about this vision, messengers arrive from Cornelius, a Roman centurion, a gentile, inviting Peter to his house. The spirit tells Peter to go with him without hesitation. The next day, Peter enters Cornelius's home, something that would have made him ceremonially unclean according to Jewish law. Peter explains, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean."
As Peter shares the gospel with this gentile household, the Holy Spirit falls on all who heard the word just as it had been on the Jewish believers at Pentecost. Now, this was a gamecher for the early church. The gospel had crossed the cultural boundary between Jew and Gentile, showing that God doesn't play favorites. Later when others questioned Peter's actions, he told them what happened and he said, "If then if then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is I that I could stand in God's way?" This story sheds light on our discussion about holidays. Just as Peter had to recognize that God works beyond the familiar boundaries of Jewish tradition, we need to be careful not to limit God's work to our particular cultural expressions of faith. Imagine a family that always celebrated important milestones with elaborate formal dinners.
Then one of the children marries someone whose family celebrates with casual backyard barbecues. The parent might be tempted to think that's not a proper celebration. But the joy and love in those backyard gatherings is just as genuine, just expressed in a different cultural form. Well, in the same way, we need to recognize that God can be honored through various cultural expressions of worship. In Colossians 2 16-1 17, Paul wrote, "Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. The substance belongs to Christ.
That's the key. Our traditions, celebrations, observances, they're only valuable if they connect us more deeply to the reality they represent. Think of it like a wedding ring. The ring itself isn't the marriage. It's a symbol of the marriage. Some people might have an elaborate diamond ring. Others might have a simple band.
And still others might not wear a ring at all due to their occupation or personal preference. But what matters isn't the symbol. It's the marriage it represents. Well, in the same way, our holiday observances are valuable only in so far as they point us to Christ. So, the question isn't whether we should or shouldn't celebrate Christmas or Easter or any other holiday for that matter. The question is whether these observancies draw us closer to Christ and help us live out our faith more authentically. For a lot of Christians throughout history and around the world today, these celebrations have provided meaningful ways to remember, to teach our children, and to embody the story of our faith.
But we also need to acknowledge that these particular expressions of faith, they're not universal and they're not required. Christians in different times and places have practiced their faith without celebrating Christmas or Easter or other holidays as we know them today. The first generation of believers didn't celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th. This is historical fact. Many Christians today belong to traditions with different rhythms and different observances. And we also have to recognize that our holiday celebrations often mix biblical themes with cultural customs that aren't directly connected to scripture. We have Christmas trees, Easter eggs, Santa Claus, and you're not going to find any of that in the Bible.
They're cultural expressions that have become associated with religious observances. Now, that doesn't necessarily make them wrong, but it should give us some perspective. Stop and pause and think. It's like a river that picks up different colors and minerals from the soil as it passes through. The water is still water, but it takes on characteristics of its surroundings. In the same way, Christian celebrations have picked up various cultural elements as they flowed through different societies and centuries. The core message remains the same, but the cultural expressions vary.
Now, Paul addresses a similar issue in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 when discussing food offered to idols. Some of the believers felt they couldn't eat that food without participating in idolatry. Others saw it as meaningless cuz idols aren't real gods anyway. Well, Paul's guidance is helpful. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat and no better off if we do. What matters isn't the practice itself, but the faith and conscience with which we approach it and how our choices affect others in the community.
In Romans 14:4, Paul asks, "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands and falls and he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. Each believer answers to the Lord, not to human opinion. Our job isn't to judge others observances, but to encourage each other toward love and good works, which Hebrews 10:24 urges us to do. Imagine two gardeners growing roses. One meticulously follows a rigid watering and pruning schedule. The other takes a more intuitive approach, responding to the plant's needs as they arrive.
Now, they both might have beautiful gardens, just cultivated through different ways. It would be silly for them to argue about whose approach is right when both are bearing good fruit. In the same way, Christians may nurture their faith through different observances, and we should focus on the fruit, not judge the method. So, how should we approach these holiday celebrations? With freedom and thoughtfulness. If you find spiritual meeting in celebrating Christmas or Easter or anything else for that matter, do so with joy and sincerity. Focus on the truth these observances point to rather than getting caught up in materialism or empty ritual.
Colossians 3:17 reminds us, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Now, if on the other hand, your conviction leads you to not observe these holidays, that's also a valid expression of faith. Romans 14:5 says that each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. What matters is that your choice comes from faith and honors the Lord. But we should be careful that our freedom doesn't become a source of division. 1 Corinthians 8:9 Paul cautions, "Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." Our choices about holiday observances shouldn't lead to judgment or exclusion within the body of Christ.
That would be a real problem. It's like driving on a road with multiple lanes. You're free to choose which lane you drive in, but you still need to be mindful of the other drivers around you. Your freedom to change lanes doesn't mean you can cut someone off or cause an accident. In the same way, our freedom in Christ should be exercised with love and consideration for other people. Look at Jesus example himself. He often challenged religious traditions that had become empty or burdensome.
But he honored the spirit behind meaningful observances. In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus quotes Isaiah, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far removed from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching his doctrines the commandments of men." The issue wasn't the observance itself, but whether it connected people to God or became a substitute for a genuine relationship with him. Think of it like a person who sends beautiful anniversary cards to their spouse but treats them poorly. the rest of the year and the card isn't the problem. It's that the outward gesture has become a substitute for genuine love.
Well, in the same way, religious observances aren't the problem. It's when they become empty rituals that disconnect us from genuine faith. Throughout church history, Christians have taken different approaches to different holidays. The Puritans famously opposed Christmas celebrations. They saw them as too connected to pagan customs and lacking biblical mandate. Other traditions embraced these observances, finding them opportunities to celebrate Christ's incarnation and resurrection in community with other believers. The early Christians facing persecution in a pagan society, they had to decide how to relate to the cultural celebrations around them too.
Some chose to separate completely. Others found ways to redeem cultural practices by infusing them with Christian meaning. We face this same tension today as believers in devol diverse cultural context trying to express our own faith authentically. In Galatians 4, Paul expresses concern for believers who are returning to rigid observances of days and months and seasons and years. His worry wasn't that they were celebrating special times, but that they were placing their trust in these observances rather than in Christ alone. The danger isn't in the celebration, but in mistaking the symbol for the substance. That's like someone who becomes so fixated on a photograph of a loved one that they ignore the actual person sitting next to them.
The photo is not the problem. It's allowing that symbol to replace the reality. the photo represents. In the same way, our holiday observances should never become more important than our relationship with Christ himself. I think Augustine put it really well when he wrote, "In essentials, unity, and non-essentials, liberty, and all things charity." Holiday observances fall into that category of non-essentials. Practices where believers can differ while still maintaining unity in Christ.
And that takes us back to Peter's rooftop vision. The lesson wasn't that all boundaries are meaningless, but that God's work transcends our cultural categories. The gospel creates a new community where there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. As Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28.
In this new community, our unity isn't based on uniform practices, but on common faith in Christ. We don't need to all celebrate the same holiday in the same way, but we do need to respect one another's consciences and support one another's faith journeys. It's like a symphony orchestra. Each instrument plays different notes in different ways. Some loud, some soft, some fast, some slow. They don't all play the same thing, but they all follow the same conductor. and contribute to the same beautiful music.
Our different holiday practices can be like those different instruments, various expressions that together honor the same Lord. So as you think about your approach to Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays, ask yourself, does this practice help me remember and celebrate the core truths of my faith? Does it create opportunities to share the gospel with others? Does it build community and strengthen relationships? Does it glorify God? If so, embrace your celebrations with joy and purpose, knowing that while they're not commanded in scripture, they can be meaningful expressions of faith. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
But if you find that certain holiday traditions distract from your faith or compromise your convictions, will you have freedom in Christ to observe differently or not do it at all? As Romans 14:22 and 23 says, "The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he proves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. Remember, the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking or of observing particular days, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That's what Romans 14:17 tells us.
These are the essentials that unite all believers regardless of whether they celebrate any Christian holiday. Imagine a family reunion where relatives from different parts of the country come together. Some might choose to dress up wearing formal attire, a suit, a dress, whatever. Others might dress casually. Some might bring elaborate dishes while others might bring simple food. Some might stay for days while others might stay for a few hours. What matters isn't the outward form of participation.
It's the family bond that unites them. Well, Christians have that same right. They might express their faith differently, but we're still one family in Christ. Keep in mind that our practices affect other people too. Children, new believers, those exploring faith, they often find meaning through the rhythms and symbols of celebration. Our holiday observances can create natural opportunities to share the gospel, too. First Peter 3:15 tells us to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
Holiday celebrations often prompt those kinds of conversations. At the same time though, we have to be careful not to judge those whose practices are different from ours. Some believers might avoid certain celebrations due to personal history, cultural background, or their own theological conviction. Others might embrace traditions that to us, eh, they're kind of foreign and we're not comfortable with it. But as long as Christ is honored and scripture isn't contradicted, we can affirm diverse expressions of faith. In Ephesians 4:2 and 3, Paul urges us to bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. That spirit of humble love should guide our approach to differences in holiday observances.
Let's remember God's concern is ultimately with our hearts and not our holidays. In 1st Samuel 16:7, God tells Samuel, "For the Lord sees not as a man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Our holidays, however meaningful, are external expressions of an internal reality. What matters most isn't what days we choose to observe or how we choose to observe them, but whether our lives reflect the transforming power of the gospel. The earliest Christians, they weren't known for their holiday celebrations, but for their love, which Jesus said, John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you're my disciples. If you have love for one," that remains the most powerful witness to the world, not some uniform practice of holidays, but sacrificial love that transcends differences.
Whether you celebrate Christian holidays with festive joy or quiet reflection or whether you choose not to celebrate them at all, your motivation should be love for God and neighbor. Let your aim be to glorify Christ in all you do. And let your attitude towards those who practice differently or not at all be one of grace and understanding. We're all on a journey of faith seeking to follow Christ faithfully in our own particular way and time. Like Philippians 1:9-11 says, "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Let this be our prayer. Gracious God, in a world of diverse traditions and practices, help us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.
When we celebrate, may we do so with joy and purpose, remembering the great truths these observances represent. When we choose not to celebrate, may we do so with conviction and peace, honoring you in our choices. In all things, Lord, may we extend grace to one another, valuing unity above uniformity and love above personal preference. Guard us from both legalism that binds and license that distracts. Instead, lead us into the freedom for which Christ has set us free. May our lives with or without holiday celebrations bear witness to the transforming power of your gospel in Jesus name. Amen.
[Music]
