The birth of Jesus was celebrated in the Bible. First an angel came to shepherds and announced the blessed birth of our Savior. Then a whole choir of angels rejoiced in song and sang to the shepherds.
Luke 2:8-11, 13-14 (NKJV), 8 “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. … 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’”
But there are no records of Jesus, the apostles, or the early church commemorating Jesus's birth. Did Jesus establish any holy days of remembrance for His followers? Yes, Jesus did instruct true Christians to remember His sacrificial death. Luke 22:19-20 (CSB), 19 “And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”
Yet, is remembering Jesus's birth wrong? No. We may rejoice as did the heavenly choir of angels by singing Christmas carols. We may give gifts of love to each other just as the wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And truly, anytime people want to thankfully rejoice in Jesus – whether it be over His birth, His loving teachings, His miracles, His invitation to follow Him, His death on the cross – we can certainly rejoice with them.
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