Holidays
Most Prestyterians today do not understand or realize that their denomination (along with most other historic Protestant denominations) have shunned the observation of Christmas and Easter for most of their histories. Only in the last 100 years have these holidays gained popularity among Protestants.
More and more Christians are coming to realize that something is wrong with the Christmas Holidays. Every year Christmas grows increasingly gaudy and shallow as the secular world attemps to find meaning without Christ. Unfortunately, the problems require a deeper fix than finding the "reason for the season."
To help people understand the root of the problem, the following articles are offered for reflection and edification, with the understanding that we take no official position with regard to these concerns. But simply commend them to your consideration in prayer and humility.
Because it is likely that few people will wade through the historical documents provided here, we will provide a short overview of the essential points:
Confessional Presbyterianism and Christmas
When the Westminster Standards were drawn up in the seventeenth century, the true worship of God took a central position in the doctrines contained therein. True worship is directed to God alone, and only in ways he has prescribed. Matters of worship to be observed — the proper means or elements of worship — are only those which God has ordained.
Treating the second commandment, the Larger Catechism demonstrates the unlawfulness of adding to the worship of God. The scriptures forbid "any religious worship not instituted by God himself" and "corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever" (Larger Catechism no. 109; cf. Confession, chapter 21).
This scriptural teaching is applied in the assembly's Directory for the Public Worship of God. A section particularly pertinent to the discussion on Christmas is found in the Appendix, "Touching Days and Places for Public Worship." It says:
There is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord's day, which is the Christian Sabbath.
Festival days, vulgarly called Holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued.
Founded upon scriptural principles, this position against holidays is the official teaching of the standards. It should be acknowledged by those who adhere to the Westminster formulations as their doctrinal standards, since it is rooted in the Larger Catechism, as well as the Directory for Worship. This position was reflected in the practice of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and America up through the nineteenth century.
— by Kevin Reed
History And Old Observance:
The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament. According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus' birth. Matthew tells how the wise men, called Magi, followed a bright star that led them to Jesus.
The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in AD 336 in an early Roman calendar, which indicates Dec. 25 as the day of observance. This celebration was probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held at that time. As part of all these celebrations, the people prepared special foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. These customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.
In the late 300's Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. By 1100 Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe, and Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European countries.
The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500's. This movement gave birth to Protestantism. During the Reformation many Christians began to consider Christmas a pagan celebration because it included nonreligious customs. during the 1600's, because of these feelings, Christmas was outlawed in England and in many parts of the English colonies in America. However, people continued to exchange Christmas gifts and soon started to follow the other old customs again.
In the 1800's two more Christmas customs became popular — decorating Christmas trees and sending cards to relatives and friends. In the US Santa Claus replaced Saint Nicholas as the symbol of gift giving.
The celebration of Christmas became increasingly important to many kinds of businesses during the 1900's.
— from the United States Embassy in Indonesia website
