The People Who

Missed Christmas
 th
4 Century
The bishop of Jerusalem wrote a letter
to the bishop of Rome. And he said I
would like for you to ascertain the date
of the birth of Christ so that we could
establish a date and have a
celebration annually.
The bishop of Rome sent word back to the bishop
of Jerusalem that Christ was born on
December 25.
And by the end of the fourth century this had
become the accepted custom and since then every
December 25 focuses on the birth of Christ.
▪ the major month of pagan
celebrations.
▪ the month of festivals and
feast things and orgies and
all kinds of pageants put on
by the pagans in honor of
their gods as winter had
reached its fullness and
they were anticipating the
*thaw and the spring and
the planting and the
strength of the sun returning
and the clouds rolling back
▪became a time of
high, boisterous,
pagan revelry
▪ Such activities, for example, are
found in pagan histories in
December as feasting, as
adorning the homes with
evergreens, as hanging trinkets
on trees, as lighting candles, as
involving mistletoe, as
exchanging gifts and general
merry making and feastings
deteriorating into drunkenness
and orgies in these traditional
heathen celebrations.
THE ROMANS
▪ December was
important because it
marked what is
known as the
Festival of the
Saturnalia.
THE ROMANS
▪ Saturn was the god of
agriculture and they
were then holding this
great feast and involved
in orgy and prostitution
and all kinds of
drunkenness and
everything in honor of
Saturn that he might
begin to bring the spring
so that crops might be
grown.
THE NORTHLAND
The Northland
people had a great
celebration during
December known as
Yule.
 THE
NORTHLAND
▪ The Yule season and the
Yule celebration they
honored the gods Odin and
Thor.
▪ And it involved festivals,
music, drinking and so
forth.
East of Persia
The time of December
they worshipped
Mithra, the god of
light.
 th
13 Century
The drama of the crib which
we know as the manger
scene was popularized by
St. Francis in the
thirteenth century.
 th
14 Century
▪Caroling started in the
fourteenth century along with
jesters, musicians and
mummers who went around
with funny masks and even
today they still have a
mummers parade.
 th
16 Century
Three hundred years later
Luther picked up the idea
of a Christmas tree and
brought a tree into his house
and put candles on it to
symbolize the sparkling stars
and the sky over the forest.

The trees and trinkets hanging on them had

been part of the festivals of the pagans for
centuries.
 Holland
▪ Holland got into the act by
giving us their favorite saint,
St. Nicholas.
▪ St. Nicholas was a white
bearded bishop of Asia
Minor who was such a
popular fellow that when he
died it was believed that he
came back every December
6th.
Holland ▪ And St. Nicholas would come
back every December 6th
and he would ride through
the streets on a white horse
and all the little Dutch kids
would put their wooden
shoes out on the porch and
as he came along he would
put goodies in the shoes of
the good kids and where
there were bad children he
would leave a switch for
obvious reasons.
Holland
▪And the Dutch called
St. Nicholas
Sinterklaas and we
got Santa Claus.
 ▪ they were printed in London by
Christmas a very enterprising man named
Sir Henry Cole who was the
Cards
(1846)
owner of an art shop and saw it
as a way to make a lot of
money.

▪ And all the first Christmas cards

printed for him were printings of
drinking scenes.
Christmas
▪ And all the
Cards
(1846)
first
Christmas
cards
printed for
him were
printings of
drinking
scenes.
People Who Missed
Christmas
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Luke 2:7

People Who Missed Christmas
 People Who Missed Christmas
*INN- Gr. Kataluma
- a hostelry; an inn with food and
bedding (Luke 22:11)
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Luke 2:7

#1:
- it was right in front of him
but he missed it
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:7
#1: THE INNKEEPER
Why he missed it?
Reason: IGNORANT PREOCCUPATION
-He was so busy because it was the census in
Bethlehem
-He was busy caring for his guests in his
house and whatever situation he was involved
with
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:7
#1: THE INNKEEPER
Why he missed it? IGNORANT PREOCCUPATION

MODERN CONTEXT:
The characters of their souls are filled with
needless (unnecessary, insignificant,
meaningless) human interests squeezes out
room for Christ.
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:7
#1: THE INNKEEPER
Why he missed it? IGNORANT PREOCCUPATION

MODERN CONTEXT: ✓ Possessions

The characters of their ✓ Pleasures
souls are filled with
needless (unnecessary, ✓ Games
insignificant, meaningless) ✓ Passions
human interests squeezes
out room for Christ. ✓ Parties
✓ Presents
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Matthew 2:1-7

#2:
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:1-7
#2: HEROD
▪ He was well informed
▪ Troubled, (agitated, stirred up,
shaken up)
=TOTAL PANIC=
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:1-7
#2: HEROD
Why he missed it?
Reason:
JEALOUS
FEAR
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:1-7
#2: HEROD
Why he missed it? JEALOUS FEAR
▪ His paranoia was legendary;
▪ A political madman: because he sought
glory and grandeur and a kingly place he was
immediately threatened even though this was
a baby
▪ Had ten wives; twelve children
▪ A murderer
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:1-7
#2: HEROD
Why he missed it? JEALOUS FEAR

MODERN CONTEXT: Herod’s of today

Fearfully jealous of losing their own self-
determination, giving up their own plan,
we will not have this man to reign over us
People Who Missed Christmas
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Matthew 2:4;

Micah 5:2

#3:
Chief Priests and the Scribes
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:4; Micah 5:2
#3: RELIGIOUS LEADERS
“Chief Priests and the Scribes”

“The Experts”
“The Brain Trust”
“The theologians”
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:4; Micah 5:2
#3: RELIGIOUS LEADERS
“Chief Priests and the Scribes”
- Captain of the temple police
-Great administration skills
-Great teaching skills
-Great leadership skills
“SANHEDRIN COUNCIL”
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:4; Micah 5:2
#3: RELIGIOUS LEADERS
“Chief Priests and the Scribes”
Why did the Sanhedrin missed Christmas?

PROUD INDIFFERENCE
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:4; Micah 5:2
#3: RELIGIOUS LEADERS
“Chief Priests and the Scribes”
Why did the Sanhedrin missed Christmas?

PROUD INDIFFERENCE
Engrossed in their own pride, their self-righteousness,
their self -sufficiency, they carried on their ritual and their legal
banter back and forth in the confines of their own little
comfortable self-righteous system and there was no room for
the Son of God (Mt. 9:10)
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:4; Micah 5:2
#3: RELIGIOUS LEADERS
“Chief Priests and the Scribes”
PROBLEM of INDIFFERENCE
▪ not realizing the state of sinfulness
▪ Don’t care about the Savior because they don’t
understand that they need to be saved
▪ Don’t understand that the wages of sin is
death
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Luke 2:8;20;

Luke 2:25;36;38

#4:
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:8;20; Luke 2:25;36;38

#4: JERUSALEM
Why Jerusalem missed Christmas?

RELIGION
- Were so busy with their religion, carrying out their
ritual (feasts, festivals, ceremonies, washings)
- Were busy worshiping the right God in the wrong
way
- Damn you faster than anyone else
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Luke 2:1

#5:
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:1

#5: ROMANS
Augustus Caesar
• He was the one who made the
decree –registering the people
(taking the census).
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:1

#5:ROMANS
• Jesus Christ was
executed by The
Romans
• They lied about his
resurrection.
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:1
#5:ROMANS
Why they missed it? IDOLATRY
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Luke 2:1
#5: ROMANS
Why they missed it?

IDOLATRY
-They had their own gods.
-Materialism, boats, power, house,
prestige, popularity, fame –are the
pagan gods
 People Who Missed Christmas

Bible text: Matthew 2:23;

Luke 2:39

#6:
 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:23; Luke
2:39
#6: NAZARETH
▪ A crude, rude town, and the people
were violent and they had a bad
reputation.
In Nazareth, he was not like any other child, he was
different, and the child grew in wisdom and stature.

(Luke 4:16; Luke 4:24)

 People Who Missed Christmas
Bible text: Matthew 2:23; Luke
2:39
#6: NAZARETH
Why they missed it?

FAMILIARITY
▪ Strangles conviction
▪ Breeds contempt
(Mk. 6:6; Mt. 13:58)
John 1:12
Romans 10:8-11
2 Corinthians
6:1-2