Christmas literally means “Christ’s Mass.”¹ It’s a church service that commemorates the birth of Christ.

I remember the first time I put those two words together and it was one of those “Ohhhh,” kind of things where it just made sense.

But here’s one thing I didn’t know: The word “Mass” is derived from a Latin word that means “dismissal.” At the conclusion of the worship service, the priest would say this word and it became traditional to associate that word with the event it was concluding. But over time, it took on a deeper meaning it that it meant to “go” as to “go on a mission.”²

This morning as I’m able to associate an even deeper meaning with the word “Christmas,” it further reinforces the thing that I’ve always appreciated about the holidays (literally “holy days”)³ in the way in which the world is transformed by a spirit of joy.

It’s palatable. You can feel it. And it goes beyond gift giving and the way in which the first snowfall of the season inspires the same kind of grin you sported when you were ten years old. It’s as though God Himself steps in and bestows upon the planet an inescapable glimpse of something legitimately holy.

“Holy” is not the disconnected dynamic that is often associated with nice guys who don’t cuss. From a Biblical standpoint, to be holy means to be whole. And part of being whole is to be enthusiastic and honestly happy. It’s not an emotion that’s based on circumstances as much as it’s based all of which God brings to the table in the context of the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 2:20).

The bottom line is that you’re able to share in God’s Nature and you don’t do that without a relationship with God and you don’t do that without Christ. That’s what makes Christmas so special. For the first time in the course of human history there was a Divinely engineered arrangement put in place that allowed for a human being to enjoy more than just occasional spikes in holiness. God called it the “New Covenant” and the whole thing was kicked off the night He lit the skies up with an amazing star and a mighty chorale of angels (Matt 2:2 [Nu 24:17]; Lk 2:13; Heb 8:8).

Christmas – the commemoration of Christ’s arrival as Emmanuel – God With Us – is amazing. The way that it makes everyone’s stride a little lighter and while want may be felt more keenly, it is, at least potentially, more likely to be addressed and remedied by the generosity inspired by the “holy” in the “holy-days” we experience this time of year.

I’m a huge fan of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” While his faith wasn’t orthodox, his use of Biblical terms and imagery make it clear that he was familiar with Scripture. That fact is further reinforced by the book he wrote for his kids entitled “The Life of Our Lord” which lays out the story of Christ and the basics of Christianity in way that made it easy for his own children to understand.⁴

In “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, drops by his uncle’s office to invite him to come have Christmas dinner with him and his family. Scrooge, of course, refuses and they get into a bit of debate as to the significance of Christmas, as far as whether or not it represents anything worthwhile. Fred says:

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew.  “Christmas among the rest.  But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round — apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that — as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”⁵

To me this comment captures, not only Dickens’ perspective on Christmas, but also a rational snapshot of what this time of year means.

Why disdain the joy and generosity associated with Christmas just because you bristle at the thought of anything “religious?” Why insist that the substance of Christmas be discounted, if not entirely dismissed, in the name of political correctness when by doing so you discourage the heightened sense of hope and benevolence inspired by the example of the One Whose birth is being celebrated?

The reason it’s the most “wonderful time of the year” is because beyond the gift giving and the abundance of carbohydrates is a Savior and regardless of which side of the aisle you sit, either as a believer or skeptic, you benefit by embracing the results of a couple weeks when people tend to be less preoccupied with their to do list and more attentive to the needs and feelings of others.

And as believers, we need to jump on the “go” dynamic represented by the word “mass” and make sure we’re decorating our houses and illuminating the outside with lights and inflatables if for no other reason than to distinguish this particular timeframe as being something special.

Some may justify a dark looking home with things like “I just don’t have the time” or “I’m not going to succumb to the ‘commercialization’ of Christmas.” Well, just keep in mind that your actions aren’t always perceived in the context of the commentary you would want to articulate to those who are looking on from a distance. Whatever is most obvious is what speaks. If you don’t decorate, then you’re stating an indifference to what this Season represents regardless of how you would attempt to justify it No one’s stopping long enough to hear your podcast. All they see is a dreary looking home positioned between two cheerful looking displays.

And what’s true with houses is just as true with people. Get in the spirit, man! Smile because you can. What’s possible isn’t determined by your abilities as much as it is by God’s Power. That’s something to be stoked about and it’s True because God saw fit to enter this world via a teenage virgin accompanied by her believing finance.

Christ’s Mass.

Go.

Tell.

Merry Christmas!

1. 1. “Christmas”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas, accessed December 7^th, 2013
2. 2. The term “Mass” is derived from the Late Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the concluding formula of Mass in Latin: “Ite, missa est“ (“Go; it is the dismissal”).[6][7] “In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal’. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission’. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church”. (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, 51)
3. 3. “Holiday”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday, accessed December 7^th, 2013
4. 4. “The Life of Our Lord”, Charles Dickens, http://www.chucknorris.com/Christian/Christian/ebooks/dickens_life.pdf, accessed December 7^th, 2013
5. 5. “A Christmas Carol”, Charles Dickens, http://www.stormfax.com/1dickens.htm, accessed December 7, 2013