Christmas runs in two different directions which is part of its popularity and charm.
1. Trees and presents and yule and mistletoe and Santa and glitter and family and hugs and love and sharing life.
2. Religious and the brith of the Savior and the biblical story, no room at the inn, the angels and the shepherds and the kings and the prophecies.
It organ also runs historically in two different directions
1. Roman Saturnalian banquet - pagan holiday
2. The Birth of Jesus Christ.
The only problem with this is that there is no record in the Bible of when Jesus was born. Oh well - seemed like a good idea at the time.
Other than the shepards were still in the fields with thier flocks. So probably no later than the end of October in the Judean hill country.
A tradition to do might be one I have picked up this year.
The book of Luke has 24 chapters.
Read one chapter of Luke each day from Dec 1st to Dec 24th.
Luke documents how Jesus expands God’s kingdom and covenant by creating a new Israel that includes the poor, outcasts and others to whom Jesus brings restoration and reverses their life circumstances as He gives them freedom and release from the tyranny of evil and sin.
Throughout the book, we see that Jesus is indeed the messianic king, but He will reign over Israel by suffering. His actions usher in an upside down kingdom marked by self-giving love, and He challenges his disciples to follow His example and share in His ministry.
The milestones covered by Luke are:
Prophecy Fulfilled
Jesus’ Mission
The Prodigal Son
Road to Emmaus
God’s Plan for Mankind
The majority of early Christians were in those two classes so it is not surprising that they would have used their precious free time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.