How the Church Got Here · Chapter 9
How did the church's Christmas traditions grow around the birth of Jesus?
Christmas traditions grew over hundreds of years. Think of the date, candles, trees, gifts, and a bishop named Nicholas. Every one of them points back to one night in Bethlehem.
Start this chapterChristmas
Luke's Gospel tells of Jesus born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, with shepherds as the first visitors. The Bible doesn't give the date. The first record of Christians celebrating on December 25 comes from Rome in the year 336.
Nicholas was a bishop in the 300s, in what is now Turkey. People remember him for helping the poor in secret. His feast day, December 6, grew into many gift traditions, including Santa Claus.
The Advent wreath began in 1839 with Johann Wichern, a Lutheran pastor in Germany. He ran a home for poor children. He made a wreath with a candle for each day before Christmas, so the children could count down.
Christmas trees became popular in Germany too. A well-loved legend says Luther brought candles into a tree after seeing stars through the branches. There's no proof, but it's a lovely picture of light in the dark.
Read it in your Bible
- Luke 2:10–11. An angel tells shepherds not to be afraid. There is good news of great joy for all people: a Savior, the Messiah, has been born in the city of David.
Words to know
- Nativity. The birth of Jesus, told in Luke and Matthew. Francis of Assisi set up a famous live manger scene in 1223, to help people picture that night.
- Incarnation. God becoming human in Jesus: God “in the flesh” Christmas is the Incarnation: God came close enough to touch.
- Nicholas. A bishop in the 300s remembered for secret gifts to the poor, celebrated December 6. The real Nicholas gave in secret. That's the heart of Christmas giving.
- Wichern. The Lutheran pastor who made the first Advent wreath in 1839. He made it for children who had very little. Our wreaths still count down with them.
- Epiphany. January 6, when the church remembers the Magi visiting Jesus. The Magi came from far away. Jesus is good news for the whole world.