Podcast Summary: Should We Celebrate Christmas?

Podcast: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Episode Date: December 19, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Sinclair B. Ferguson addresses the perennial question: Should Christians celebrate Christmas? He explores the historical, theological, and pastoral dimensions of the holiday, reflecting both on its place in church tradition and how believers can think faithfully about its observance today. Ferguson balances respect for conscience with arguments for the spiritual benefit of commemorating Christ's incarnation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Historical Background of Holy Days in Christianity

[00:08 - 02:15]

• Old Testament Context: In the Old Covenant, God's people marked their year with several religiously mandated holy days—national holidays with spiritual significance.
  • "Yes, the life of an Old Covenant, Old Testament believer was punctuated by holy days, because God's people had national holidays." (00:14)
• Development of Christian Holidays: Post-Constantinian church developed its own calendar of holy days, with Christmas becoming a central fixture.
• Reformation Response: Reformers, particularly in Scotland, resisted the imposition of church-created holidays not specified in Scripture. This led to the abolition of special days, including Christmas, within some traditions.
  • "The Reformers... reacted against that. It felt the Church had been insisting on observations that went beyond Scripture and sometimes against Scripture. And so all these special days came to an end, including Christmas." (00:41)

2. Liberty and Wisdom in Setting Church Celebrations

[02:16 - 03:09]

• No Biblical Command for ‘Christian Holidays’: Scripture neither commands nor forbids special days like Christmas.
• Church Leadership and Spiritual Well-being: Elders and ministers often choose topics or themes based on congregational needs (e.g., sermon series in September, anniversary Sundays), which is accepted and considered wise.
  • "If we have that liberty, then surely we have the liberty to think that there would be a time in the year when we might concentrate on the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (02:40)
• Application to Christmas: Applying the same pastoral logic, setting aside a season to focus on the incarnation is appropriate and spiritually beneficial.

3. Freedom of Conscience and Avoiding Spiritual Elitism

[03:10 - 04:02]

• No Binding of Conscience: Observing Christmas should not be seen as making one day holier than another, nor should it be a matter for division.
  • "We're not saying that these are especially holy days. We're not binding anyone's conscience any more than when we have a month of sermons on sanctification." (03:20)
• Warning Against Spiritual Superiority: Ferguson cautions against expressing anti-Christmas views in a "mean spirited and even spiritually superior way," implying that such attitudes can be uncharitable and divisive within the body of Christ.

4. Practical Effects of Not Marking the Incarnation

[04:03 - 04:25]

• Less Teaching on Christ's Birth: Ironically, communities that omit Christmas often end up hearing less about the incarnation than those that mark it.
  • "Christians and congregations that don't mark the Incarnation in this way are actually likely to hear fewer sermons and have less concentration on the conception and birth in early days our blessed Lord Jesus..." (04:10)

5. Addressing the ‘Pagan Holiday’ Objection

[04:26 - 05:42]

• Christmas and Pagan Roots: Ferguson challenges the claim that Christmas is a ‘pagan holiday’ co-opted from Saturnalia, noting that church celebrations sometimes deliberately coincide with secular events to offer a gospel alternative (e.g., Reformation Day vs. Halloween).
  • "That's a bit like saying that Reformation Sunday is a pagan celebration because it coincides with Halloween." (04:37)
• Evangelistic Intent: Early Christians used Christmas as a contrast to pagan festivals, pointing the world to Christ and the true God.
  • "It was a way of pointing the pagan world to a better story, to an infinitely greater God than the Roman God Saturn." (05:05)
• Testimony and Opposition: The power of the Christian witness at Christmas was significant—so much so that enemies opposed it violently.
  • "So powerful was that witness that at least on one occasion, a church gathering on Christmas Day was deliberately and maliciously firebombed by Christ's enemies." (05:25)

6. Sanctifying Any Day and the True Meaning of Christmas

[05:43 - End]

• Every Day Is Alike: Christmas is not inherently holier; the activities themselves (even Christmas dinner) aren’t sanctified by the date, but by how believers approach them.
  • "Christmas Day isn't any more holy than any other day of the year. And Christmas dinner isn't actually more sacred than yesterday's dinner." (05:43)
• Spiritual Opportunity: With the right focus—on the incarnation, word, prayer, and praise—any day, including Christmas, can be spiritually enriching.
  • "Like that food, it can be sanctified in special ways by the word of God and prayer and praise, because the Lord Jesus did indeed come into the world to be our Savior." (05:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On liberty and church practice:
  "If we have that liberty, then surely we have the liberty to think that there would be a time in the year when we might concentrate on the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ..." — Sinclair B. Ferguson (02:40)

• On the ‘pagan roots’ objection:
  "That's a bit like saying that Reformation Sunday is a pagan celebration because it coincides with Halloween." — Sinclair B. Ferguson (04:37)

• On the heart of Christmas:
  "The Lord Jesus did indeed come into the world to be our Savior." — Sinclair B. Ferguson (05:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:08] – Historical context: Old Testament, church calendar, and Reformation
• [02:16] – Church liberty in setting themes and seasons
• [03:10] – Warning against mean-spiritedness and spiritual superiority
• [04:03] – Practical effects of not celebrating Christmas
• [04:26] – Responding to the ‘pagan holiday’ claim
• [05:43] – Spiritual meaning and sanctification of Christmas

Conclusion

Sinclair B. Ferguson concludes that while Christians are not obligated by Scripture to celebrate Christmas, doing so can be legitimate, edifying, and evangelistically strategic. The heart of the issue is not the date or tradition, but the opportunity to meditate on and rejoice in the incarnation of Christ—an event worthy of reflection and praise at any time.

Tone: Thoughtful, pastoral, historically informed, gently corrective, and encouraging.