Christmas, 2010

I wanted to share some thoughts about Christmas with you today.

In the last several years, many members of Christian religious denominations have decried the commercialization and secularization of Christmas, what they see as the mass forgetting that the holiday is first and foremost a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

If you have read my recent book sharing my spiritual philosophy, you know that I do not adhere to any organized religion, and that I do not refer to myself as a “Christian.” However, I do have a tremendous regard for all the great spiritual teachers, including the person we know from history as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ.

I recently learned some interesting information about the origins of the Christmas holiday, courtesy of my dear friend Kate at Unity of Charlotte. This information is taken from the website ReligiousTolerance.org. Any actual record of the birthday of Jesus (Yeshua of Nazareth) was lost long ago, so no one knows the exact date. Evidence in the gospels indicate that it was sometime in the fall of the year, but this may not have been known or recognized by early Christians. In the fourth century, western church leaders wanted to celebrate his birthday, and selected December 25 as the date, since this date was already recognized throughout the Roman Empire as the birthday of various Pagan gods. Indeed, many of our Christmas traditions are of Pagan origin, such as holly, mistletoe, the Yule log, the giving of gifts, the Christmas tree and magical reindeer.

It literally took until the tenth century for Christmas Day to be formally recognized throughout Europe and the Christian world at that time. Because of the ties to Paganism, some Christian groups have objected to Christmas. The English Parliament abolished Christmas in 1647, and the Puritans in Massachusetts tried to ban Christmas during the seventeenth century. Some contemporary Christian groups still do not celebrate Christmas.

Christmas is much more complex than we might have thought. However, I believe that we should celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus Christ, in honor and remembrance of a human being who, perhaps more than anyone else we have historical knowledge of, clearly felt God within him and boldly shared his teaching, and God’s reality, with anyone who would listen. We all have the same relationship with God; God is part of us, and we are truly of God. We are all also one with each other, and every soul in the universe, including Jesus Christ. Christmas is a wonderful time to remember that we are all One, and always will be.

The other aspects of Christmas are also worth keeping and celebrating. I am sure that the spirit we know as Jesus is pleased that people of many different faiths choose to observe Christmas as a time of love, joy and peace. Christmas is not just for Christians, but for all God’s children.

This brings me to the other point I wanted to discuss. One of the traditional messages of Christmas is Peace on Earth. There are numerous stories of people coming together at Christmas in a spirit of peace. One of my favorites is the story of the Christmas truce that occurred on a particular battlefield in World War 1, with German and British soldiers leaving their trenches and meeting in the middle for several hours in the night to celebrate Christmas with each other, before returning to their conflict. I have no confirmation of the truth of this story, and the sad part to me is that the battle apparently resumed, but stories like this serve to remind us that peace throughout the entire planet is something to be desired and strived for.

So how do we achieve Peace on Earth? I tell you truly that we will not have peace on earth until we have peace in the heart of every person. Everything that we want to be different in this world depends on each of us. We must find peace inside of us first, by recognizing that we are each one with everyone else, all over the world, and then understanding that anything we do to another, we do to ourselves. As each of us come to understand this fact, we can then let go of fear, let go of judgment, and begin to experience loving acceptance of ourselves and all others. Only then will prejudices, conflicts and wars go away. Only then will we truly create a peaceful, joyful life for all.

My wish for all of you is that you celebrate this Christmas with a renewed passion, being thankful God has given us life, and teachers such as Jesus, so that we can experience and know the beauty of existence which lies in love for all. May you find your peace and joy, and take those with you into the New Year, and on into the new world age that is beginning. Together, we can make it a grand age for all on earth. May the Love of God be with you, and may it shine through you to all others.

Merry Christmas!