The general attitude of goodwill associated with Christmas perplexes me. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for it. But when you contrast the birth of Christ with His atonement and resurrection, you would think Easter would draw out more kindly behavior than Christmas.
I understand the sentiment behind the goodwill, and I fully support it. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we celebrate the gift that Heavenly Father gave to the world – that of His only Begotten Son. And yet, with the resurrection and atonement we celebrate each spring, the gift becomes infinitely more valuable to each human soul.
Of course, the concept of Christmas can be more easily understood than that of Easter – just ask most children. Those who recognize ‘the reason for the season’ understand that it is, most simply put, Jesus’ birthday. Easter, of course, is not so aptly explained. Most Christians – both children and adult – recognize that Christ gave His life for us. But understanding what that means takes more than a few minutes.
Then there is the basic underlying event. At Christmas, we celebrate a birth, an almost-always joyous occasion. At Easter, we celebrate a resurrection, but a resurrection which follows a particularly cruel and painful death. Most Christians I know believe the taking away of sins – the atonement – occurred on the cross. As Latterday Saints who recognize what occurred in the garden of Gethsemane must also see the pain it caused, for “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). Even as we celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for us, we must face the great personal cost that sacrifice required.
I do not wish for a reduction of the Christmas spirit – indeed, I wish more folks would recognize the joy of this time of year. I only wish the sense of peace and goodwill could extend to that time when Christ gave mankind His greatest gift.
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