Given the choice between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m sorry but I’d have to forego Thanksgiving. I’m sure many people would be on the same page. But I’m beginning to think that maybe I need to change my mentality.
Specifically: that I should focus more on Thanksgiving. I’m sure many in our country grow up believing that Christmas is “holier” or “more important” than the rest because it’s the celebration of God Himself coming to earth as a human being in order to seek and save the lost. That, and it’s the second time of the year to go to church, right?
Let me caution you, however. Christmas is not holier than Thanksgiving; and it’s definitely not more important. Thanksgiving, in actuality, is more important than Christmas. Yes, I said it.
God is a God of celebration. From the beginning, He has sanctioned a day a week to rest and refocus on Him. He didn’t accidentally give us a faulty energy system that caused us to need recharging each week – He purposely designed it that way! Then in Leviticus 23, He spells out a whole list of festivals and feasts (holidays) for Israel to observe. As you see, God’s not against a good old fashioned shindig. In fact, He commanded celebration!
Though it’s interesting to note that nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to celebrate Jesus’ birth. We are commanded to remember His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), but not His birth. Care to take a guess as to what we are commanded to do? Thanksgiving. No, I don’t believe God decreed that we set aside the last Thursday of every November for this holiday. He did, however, instruct us several times to give thanks…
• 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever”
• Psalm 118:1 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever”
• Psalm 136:1-3 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:15 “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God”
• Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
• Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”
• I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”
Our Enemy – Satan – knows the good that comes from giving thanks. He knows that true joy in the world and peace on earth comes more from a grateful heart rather than one just focused on the Yuletide. This is why I’m not surprised that Christmas has taken over Thanksgiving. Black Friday is no longer Black Friday. It’s Black Thursday, and it starts early enough that thousands upon thousands put more emphasis on making sure they get in line for the best giveaways that Walmart and others have to give them, rather than sitting around a table with family and being thankful for the best giveaways that God has for them.
You would think that a holiday that promotes “peace on earth, goodwill to men” and has people – both liberal and conservative, Christian and secular – singing “Joy to the world, our Savior reigns!” would be a scathing and profound threat to the kingdom and hold that Satan has in this world. You would think Satan would enlist Scrooge and the Grinch to join his army to fight off Christmas; that he would want to squash this season and get people to focus more on a “lesser” holiday” (like Thanksgiving). But what he does instead is admittedly ingenious. Put more emphasis on this dangerous holiday! Instead of tearing people’s focus from a holiday celebrating his natural arch-rival, he has kindled a fire that celebrates Christmas not just on Christmas Day, but for a whole season.
That’s what he does best: take a beautiful Truth, and twist it in just the right way that it creates a monster of selfishness and pseudo-religiousness. And we’ve all been victims of it. I know I certainly have. The Enemy’s already got us thinking Christmas is better and more sanctified than Thanksgiving. But now – even if you’re like me and you refuse to buy in to the notion that we need to buy more stuff on Thanksgiving – you’re still bombarded with the subliminal message that Christmas is all about stuff. More stuff. More presents. More Christmas. More you. More me. More. More. More! For the Enemy to get us to believe that such sanctimonious, Yuletide platitudes like “peace on earth” are not only achievable apart from the Divine, but altogether better with His absence, is more dangerous than anything we humans could conjure for ourselves.
Brothers and sisters, please be wary. Acknowledge that you may regard Christmas as superior and more hallow than Thanksgiving. Acknowledge that God doesn’t command us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but that He does command us to give thanks. Acknowledge that what truly takes “Christ” out of Christmas is not calling it “Xmas”, nor saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, nor calling them “holiday trees” versus “Christmas trees” (what other holiday on the calendar uses a tree anyway?). Nor is this happening when an establishment switches to plain red cups. No, what takes “Christ” out of Christmas can simply be putting more focus on it.
While I believe I am morally allowed to enjoy Christmas above Thanksgiving, I do not believe I am obligated to hold Thanksgiving in higher regards and greater significance either. I am fairly certain that the flair and appeal of Thanksgiving will never be a true contender going against Christmas – just as a hospital won’t beat out Disneyland in a bid for family vacation. While one is more desirable, there is one that is more necessary.
So let’s use the Christmas season (again) to share the love and Gospel of Christ with great urgency and humility. In addition, let us truly contemplate which holiday we give more validity to, and why. I know I will.