About “Christmas.”-

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, Cal. · Dec 20, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 50.

About “Christmas.”—

The word “Christmas”—Christ’s mass—is neither sacred nor Biblical. A much better term is “the Nativity;” but this is a misnomer as applied to December 25. The birth of the Son of God into the human family does not pertain to a day. It had nothing to do with a day, only that it was sometime during a day that Christ was born; but that event is for every day, every life, every land. “The Word was made flesh, and tabernacled among us.” God showed that it was possible for poor, weak, sinful human flesh to live above sin. It was that which our Lord took upon Himself; He became a brother to all humanity, and lived victor over sin in that humanity, in order that He might encourage every other human in the hope of victory. For as Jesus Christ perfectly overcame in the flesh, so is He able, if admitted into our life, to overcome in us. This is the great lesson which the truth of Christ ought to bring home to all human hearts. But to think that we have fittingly celebrated that marvelous event by observing a pagan festival day is to hide from us its mighty, life-giving import.