Christmas and all its trappings is there to be enjoyed. The material aspects of Christmas are as much there to be actively enjoyed and are equally gifts from God as any of the spiritual aspects. The gifts, the food, the drink and all the merriment is legitimately enjoyable and God takes delight in our enjoyment of it whether you eat or drink or whatever you do.

I have said a number of times across recent weeks that Christians have something of a Gnostic tendency around this time of year. Spirit = Good; Material = Bad. Therefore, it is often assumed that all the material stuff around Christmas is just bad. The focus on Christ, the nativity, the scriptures and the coming of the promised Messiah = Good. The sharing of presents, eating of nice food, the decorations, and the filthy lucre spent on all these trinkets = Bad. Very, very bad! The thing is, it just isn’t biblical.

Let’s just consider a few bits of scripture (and there are plenty of others we might think about), to see what the Bible says about enjoying material things:

1 Timothy 6:17 instructs us to set our hope on God ‘who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.’ God wants us to enjoy things. Things. That is, stuff. Indeed, Paul goes on in 1 Timothy 6:18-19: ‘Instruct them [the rich] to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life.’ Those who have ought to be generous, giving, willing to share. I take Paul to mean here that not only does God give us good things to enjoy, but he actively encourages us to be generous so that others may also enjoy these good gifts too.

Let’s think about Ecclesiastes 9:7-10:

⁷ Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. ⁸ Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. ⁹ Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

The writer has been saying that death comes to all. So, knowing that death is coming, we ought to find enjoyment where we can as circumstances allow. We don’t know if our life will be hard or easy in the ordinary run of things. Therefore, the writer says, enjoy life as and when you are able. Those who are godly will both enjoy life as circumstances allow and (v7) acknowledge such enjoyment is due to God’s favour on them (cf. Ecc 2:24-26; 3:13).

But perhaps the point is made clearest of all in another section from Ecclesiastes 5:

¹⁹ Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, ²⁰ for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

What does the writer say here? God has given riches and wealth to some and – most notably – allowed him to enjoy them. Such a person will not focus on the darker realities of life because of the greater joy he takes in the good gifts God has given to him (riches, wealth, stuff and the enjoyment thereof). But the writer couldn’t be clearer: God gives us good gifts to enjoy, and these gifts include money, wealth, possessions and all manner of material things. Scripture says the enjoyment of material things is both entirely legitimate and actively encourages in it as those who recognise such things are God’s gift to us.

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