Christmas? WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)?
By Rachel & TK Hoo
The first proper decision Rachel and I had to make as newlyweds was, “What’s for breakfast?” Whilst having one of the first post-wedding meals together, our conversation led to the question: “How would we celebrate the holiday season?” Having gotten married in the final quarter of the year meant that one of the biggest holidays of the year was fast approaching - Christmas!
Before marriage, we would always follow our parents’ lead but now, we had to start our own routine for the holiday season. Whilst it was the most logical step to establish one based on what we did previously with our parents, we decided to delve into Scripture for guidance on how Jesus would have spent such an important festival in the Christian calendar.
To Jesus himself, Christmas would, of course, be his birthday. For Christians all around the world, Christmas marks a significant occasion when we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. So, how would we know how to celebrate Christmas. Fortunately for us, we can draw wisdom from Jesus and the disciples who celebrated important Jewish festivals and events during his lifetime.
The Bible shares a few insightful verses to show us how they did so:
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. Matthew 26:18-19 shows that he sent his disciples to prepare the Passover and ate with them that night. That was when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and it was also the night of his ultimate betrayal. In John 7, Jesus attended the Festival of Tabernacles, albeit in secret, and ended up teaching in the middle of the feast!
While reading about the Passover celebration and the Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26, we were struck by how Jesus used this festival to signify that a new beginning was on the horizon (through His death and resurrection). In a way, being joined in marriage now signifies our new beginning as a family unit. Why not use this chance to create our own tradition and also honour God and our respective families?
We also observed a few parallels on how the different festivals were celebrated and how we celebrate Christmas in modern day: with food, family and faith. We are constantly reminded of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us and through His grace, we will be able to enjoy spending time and sharing scrumptious meals with our respective families.
So this Christmas, whilst we take the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and rejoice in the remembrance that He died for our sins, rose from the grave and will one day return, we can celebrate this important festival in the same way Jesus would have done - surrounded by the ones we love.
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