In the battle of who rightfully owns December 25th, we believers have thrown in the reading the story of Jesus’ birth or giving one special gift to God to make this day appear meaningful and purposeful.
Are you a sucker for Christmas movies like me? If so, you're probably bingeing not just on the annual holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel but also on Netflix and Prime. The popularity of this genre is more than enough to keep your calendar busy beyond the Twelve Days of Christmas or the countdown to December 25th. I can't keep up with the movie titles, so I focus more on the highlights when I recommend them to friends and family.
We grew up with chubby Frosty the Snowman, so what’s magical about today's Christmas spirit that inspires writers to create stories with a hunky ice sculpture of a man finding romance, or a very public confession of love in the middle of a holiday concert because the performers themselves are a perfect social media love story?
Better yet, is it the classic nostalgia of Christmas films that makes the season truly magical? Or is it something different? Something more?
Is Christmas Magic Inspired by the Tree?
Notice the number of Christmas trees decorating the sets of these holiday movies, indoors or outdoors. Perhaps you can spot three to four of them vying for space in the already overly decorated home. Or it could be the beautifully lit ones that line someone’s driveway or front lawn, very different from the dark and dirty tree lot.
Several websites claim that the Christmas tree is symbolic of the world, life for its green color, with the lights either that of the stars that brightened the world on Jesus’ birth or the light of Jesus Himself. There is also the belief that the tree is a metaphor for the cross where Jesus would ultimately hang for the greatest sacrifice for mankind.
Historically, the tree is deeply rooted in paganism and customs and traditions that people of faith incorporated into their messaging of Christian theology. Cultural adaptation was so much easier than helping fully transform the new believers with the simple truth of the Gospel.
Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of prophecy, not a magic act.
Many people have fallen in love with the word "magical" that it's often used in ways that sometimes don't make sense. One grandma told another, “Our grandkids are so beautiful and magical.” Beautiful…yes! Magical…how? The grandkids weren’t a happenstance, appearing by magic. They were naturally conceived by their parents.
An angel appeared to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, and was told that she had found favor with God. Scripture says, “[she] will conceive in [her] womb and bear a son, and [she] shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary, troubled by these words, presented her purity status. To which the angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child will be born and will be called holy—the Son of God." And Mary surrendered to God’s will (Luke 1:26-38).
When Joseph found Mary to be with child, he decided it was best to quietly end things with her. He knew he wasn’t the father. But “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream” and told him of the supernatural circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy. He heard that “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Isaiah]: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Matthew 1:18-23; cf. Isaiah 7:14). Joseph accepted these words and did what he was told.
For Bible believers, the birth of Jesus was foretold even thousands of years before it took place. Nathan told David that God’s promise to him was this: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The angel told Mary the very same words: “And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32b-33).
And when the decree to register was put in place, Mary and Joseph traveled from the “town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because [Joseph] was of the house and lineage of David,” and Jesus’ birth came (Luke 2:1-6). Where Jesus was born was the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2).
Nothing happened by chance or by magic. It was all part of God’s plan.
Did the Angel Bring Magic?
Hollywood Christmas movies sometimes use Santa as an alter ego for angels doing good on earth. You either have the lead actress or actor happily putting some cash in Santa’s donation bucket and it will somehow spark a conversation. And with some very choice words and a twinkling eye from Santa, while musical bells sound, the spell is cast. Yes, the wheels have been set in motion and the unspoken wish will come true in the end.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds when Jesus was born, there was no friendly exchange that happened. In fact, the shepherds “were filled with great fear.” The angel had an important announcement: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8-12).
It was more than news. It was an invitation, even a command, to pack up and see the child Jesus. “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (v.15). And the shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the baby just as they were told by the angel.
The angel didn’t bring magic. The angel brought faith! What the shepherds heard the multitude of the heavenly host praising God they understood, and they too glorified and praised God for what they had heard and seen (vv.14, 20).
The Truth About Christ’s Birth
Almost everyone today knows that Christ was not born on December 25th. Yet here we are obsessing on this special day, keeping the “magical Christmas” mindset alive, nearly worshipping this idea of magic like the rest of the world that doesn't believe in Jesus. Perhaps it’s time for us to put things into perspective instead of misleading ourselves with words like “Keep Christ in Christmas” since we all have been caught in commercialism. Why else do we make our own Christmas lists and shop the deals on Black Friday?
In the battle of who rightfully owns December 25th, we believers have thrown in the reading the story of Jesus’ birth or giving one special gift to God to make this day appear meaningful and purposeful.
Yes, Jesus came to this world as a baby, born just like you and me. But more than that, Jesus knew full well the purpose of His coming, even before His birth on earth. He said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:38-40).
The story of Jesus’ birth is a remarkable one, not magical. It was about obedience to God’s will. Jesus came down from heaven with a mission from His Father. Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant. Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). And Joseph? He took Mary for his wife as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Jeremy McKnight
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!
