Bible verses about Christmas

For many years I observed Christmas, happy for the celebration time with my family, even though I knew the historical background of the day, that Jesus birthday was unknown, that the early church did not celebrate his birthday, that a command had not been given to celebrate it.

Certainly the world cold not have been saved if Jesus, our Yeshuah/Salvation, had not been born into it, but the early church celebrated his life, death, resurrection, and saving power in our lives. They honored the Sabbath and the Holy Days, never mentioning celebrating the day of Christ's birth.

Christmas, not having been incorporated into church worship during the writing of the Bible, is not  addressed directly, but there are verses that show what God thinks about human tradition, and about how we should worship him (see previous post on False Worship). 

To begin with, let's see what Jesus had to say about tradition vs. God's commands:

From the first few verses of Matthew 15 is the story of some coming to Jesus and asking, "Why do your disciples break with our traditions?" Jesus answered, "Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" The questioners and Jesus' answer included specific examples, but his question,
"Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" has a broader application. Jesus went on to say,

⁸ “These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁹ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.”

I remember learning verse 9 from the King James Version as a young child, "But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men." It is verse that all seventh-day Sabbath keepers use to bolster our understanding that God's seventh-day Sabbath is still His Holy Day.

What is the command of God as it relates to Christmas trees? I remember when trees were not put into our sanctuary, and if they were, they were not decorated. Now all has changed, and a decorated Christmas tree is the focal point of most church platforms during this season. Should a tree be part of the Christmas celebration in a Christian church?*

Deuteronomy 16:21:

You shall not make a post idol of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make you. ~ King James 2000 Bible 

"You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make for yourself. ~ NASB

I hear someone saying, "The Christmas tree isn't an idol! It's not an Asherah pole! It doesn't mean that to me!" There is plenty about the Christmas tree online, which I encourage you to study for yourself. You will find various histories, but above all, consider the word of God above the words of men.

There is more about a tree in Jeremiah 10:

² This is what the Lord says: 

“Do not learn the ways of the nations
    or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
    though the nations are terrified by them.
³ For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
    they cut a tree out of the forest,
    and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
⁴ They adorn it with silver and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.

This verse is about people who create idols out of wood, not specifically about a Christmas tree. Consider how much the Christmas tree is honored, how much time and money is spent on it, how reticent we are to dispense with it even when we know its history. It has become almost an idol; even if it doesn't take the place of God, do I love something so much that I don't want to hear what God says about it? If so, it's an idol. "But it doesn't mean that to me!" we say.

Other verses regarding heathen nations include Lev. 18:3 and Lev. 20:23, warning Israel against following the customs of Egypt in their past, and the customs of those who would be driven out before them in their future. The warnings to Israel are cautions to us today. The Lord said, "Learn not the ways of the heathen," and yet that is exactly what we have done, bringing them into our churches and homes.

Deuteronomy 7 maybe cause us to have second thoughts about bringing something into our home that has been adopted from heathen practices:

²⁵ The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. 
²⁶ Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

"But it doesn't mean that to me!" On the other hand, what does it mean to God?

* Seventh-day Adventists will point to a specific quote Ellen White said about Christmas trees. I will study her quotes in a separate post.