Christmas FAQs
What does ‘Noel’ mean?
The word ‘Noel’ means ‘Christmas’ and is derived from French. During Christmas, the French would often wish each other “Joyeux Noël”, which translates to ‘Merry Christmas’. It can also be taken to mean Christmas carol, if the word is spelt without a capital ’N’.
Was Jesus born in a manger?
The bible does not say that Jesus was born in a manger. However, it mentions that Mary laid Jesus in a manger to rest after giving birth to Him. The resting place of Jesus upon His birth is a beautiful demonstration of Jesus’ humility. Even though He is God, He didn’t come to Earth amidst trumpets and glamour. The King of Kings laid humbly in a manger.
Why do we sing carols during Christmas?
Even though there is no biblical significance in singing carols during Christmas, it is a verbal demonstration of our praise & thanksgiving towards God for dying on the cross for us. Similar to singing praise and worship unto God, we sing Christmas carols out of joy and gratitude for Jesus’ selfless sacrifice. It is also an activity that brings friends and families together (you often see a group of people doing Christmas carolling).
The angels singing to the shepherds to announce Jesus' birth (Luke 2) is another origin of carolling.
Why is the virgin birth important?
The virgin birth is rich in meaning. It fulfils prophecies foretold ages before in the old testament. Here’s one - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was not born out of the conception of two humans - that would make His birth an ordinary human birth. The virgin birth was supernatural, pointing to the deity of Jesus Christ. Another reason why the virgin birth is so important is because it speaks of Jesus’ sinless nature. If Jesus had been humanly conceived, He would have inherited His parents’ sinful nature - “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, . . . thus death spread to all, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Why is Christmas called ‘Christmas’?
The name 'Christmas' is a combination of words. Christ (the first half of ‘Christmas’) is another name for Jesus. The second half of the word ‘Christmas’ is from the word ‘mass’, as in a large quantity. Christmas is essentially a mass remembrance, where Christians remember that Jesus was born for us, died for us and then was resurrected from the dead.
Was Jesus born on December 25?
There is no evidence that Jesus was actually born on December 25. In fact, it is quite unlikely because the Bible tells us that the shepherds were out in their fields, and in the place where Jesus was born it is far too cold in December for the shepherds to be out in the fields. Rather, it is likely that the date December 25 was chosen to celebrate Christmas in the 5th century, when Christians began to celebrate Jesus' birth each year.
