Galatians 4:8-11
"But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain."
If a Christian celebrates Christmas as the birthday of Jesus wouldn't that be observing a day or a season? Doesn't this passage imply that would be wrong?
You are right, it could be. Have you ever wondered about the spititual connection involved with some of the practices and symbols used in observing the Christmas rituals?
1. cutting and bringing a tree into the house?
2. hanging wreaths and holly berries?
3. exchanging gifts?
4. limiting the number of wise men to three?
5. the yule log?
6. wise men at the manger scene?
7. Shepards in the fields in Dec.?
Odd and strange to say the least.
Galatians 4:8-11
"But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain."
If a Christian celebrates Christmas as the birthday of Jesus wouldn't that be observing a day or a season? Doesn't this passage imply that would be wrong?
Trae
goose your are so right ,Xmas could not be more wrong ,not even one thing about it can claim to be Christian.
Just a holiday to me but also a time of the yr that Christ's birth is reflected on. The Lord did'nt set it aside as a holy day but it sure is a good time for bringing families together and remembering the event of God manifest in flesh.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Pause and think. What do such things as the Christmas tree with its trimmings and the holiday"s other accessories"mistletoe, holly, candles, yuletide logs, fruits and nuts, mince pies, and roast pig"have to do with the birth and life of Christ? Why the ever-increasing emphasis on the "Christmas spirit": excessive wining and dining, drunkenness and licentiousness? Where did the "Santa Claus" myth originate? If December 25 is Christ"s birthday, then why do the Eastern and Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7?
WHEN
WASJESUSBORN?
The Bible, all will agree, is the only reliable history on the subject, and fortunately it does not leave us in doubt as to what time of the year Jesus was born. Zechariah, the priestly father of John the Baptist, was serving at the temple in the eighth course of the priesthood called that of "Abijah". This was in the early part of June, and at that time the Lord"s angel informed him that Elizabeth his wife would shortly conceive a son who would be named John. (Luke 1:5, 8, 13, 23-28, AS) So when Jehovah"s angel visited Elizabeth"s cousin, Mary, during the sixth month of Elizabeth"s conception this would mark the time of year as December. The record, therefore, shows that it was at that time in December that this Mary, the mother-to-be of Jesus, became pregnant. Consequently, Jesus was not born in December, but rather, nine months later, around the latter part of September or the first of October."Luke 1:26, 27, 30, 31, 36.
Furthermore, the Scriptures say that shepherds were in the open fields attending their flocks when Jesus was born. Hence it was autumn time before the rainy season, and not in December, when the flocks would be wintering in sheepfolds. (Luke 2:8-20; Ezra 10:9, 13) Moreover, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river about the time of his thirtieth birthday, and that was not in the chill of winter. (Luke 3:21-23) Let it also be called to mind that Jesus was nailed to the tree when thirty-three and a half years old, and since this occurred at passover time in the spring of the year, necessarily he was born thirty-three years andsixmonths previous, that is, in the fall of the year and not in December. So all the scriptures are very definite in proving that Jesus was not born anywhere near December 25 or January 7. Hence it is wrong to celebrate either of these dates as Jesus" birthday.
Then how does it come that these dates have been so universally accepted for the celebration of Christmas? A look at ancient paganism shows that people thousands of years before Christ was born worshiped the ever-rising, ever-setting, never-dying sun as the source of life and immortality. Yearly they watched the days grow shorter until the winter solstice, on December 21, was reached, and then in jubilation over its "return" they held a great feast in honor of the "reborn" sun. When the tower-building experiment at Babel became confused sun worshipers were scattered throughout the world, and so among the early Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxons and Celts, as well as the Egyptians, Persians and others, riotous December feasting with drunken revelry and lewd rites were held. This feast among the pagan Romans was known as the "feast of Saturnalia".
The obvious conclusion drawn from these facts is that the celebration of December 25 is purely of pagan and demonic origin. Says the CatholicEncyclopedia (vol. 3, page 727): "The well-known solar feast, however, of NatalisInvicti ["Birthday of the Unconquered"], celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date."
Early Christians had nothing to do with this pagan holiday. "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts," says the CatholicEncyclopedia. However, as time went on and the Roman Catholic Church endeavored to win over more pagans, the clergy pinned a "Christian" label on the pagan Saturnalia on December 25 and sponsored it as the "mass of Christ" or "Christ-mass".
Not only do the clergy admit this, they even try to justify it. James M. Gillis, C.S.P., editor of the CatholicWorld (Dec. 2, 1945), wrote: "It is a well-known fact that the popes and councils in the early Church deliberately placed a Christian festival on or near the day of a previously existing pagan carnival, with the purpose of ousting the heathenish and generally licentious celebration." But how has the continued celebration of this pagan holiday with a Christian label on it ousted the heathenish celebration? Under clergy sponsorship and blessing the pagan customs have continued down until the present time.
Just a holiday to me but also a time of the yr that Christ's birth is reflected on. The Lord did'nt set it aside as a holy day but it sure is a good time for bringing families together and remembering the event of God manifest in flesh.
Leaf
1.I have to amen this..who knows when the exact day was ? But i am tickled that Christmas chorals are being played throughout the world. Some are even about Christ.
2.Not all folks are all about money. My wife and I have already told our sons not to buy us one solitary thing. Andrew's present is to be home on leave which he is...I'm holding back tears as I type that one..and Matt has promiced me a weekend of hunting and fishing..for he has been too busy lately. They need to save their money for their future homes.
3. Christmas gives me an opportunity to share Christ with my student;s .I devel.op a time line from Gen...till Chriistmas. Each year is more scary as the Bible is like a fairy tale to our present day kids. Trust me ,I'm real careful not to leave a paper trail .Just sowing seeds.
4. Christmas is a time to go through the roll a desk and write those once a year acquaintenances.through a Christmas card.
5. And then there is the big dinner with your relatives around it. Prayer opportuinty . Afterwards I play Christmas songs that magnify the Lord and I feel good about that.
[align=center]ThisMasqueradeCalledChristmas[/align][align=left]Pause and think. What do such things as the Christmas tree with its trimmings and the holiday"s other accessories"mistletoe, holly, candles, yuletide logs, fruits and nuts, mince pies, and roast pig"have to do with the birth and life of Christ?[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Under clergy sponsorship and blessing the pagan customs have continued down until the present time.
[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]I paused and thought.... about what your post was trying to express... all I'll say is: "earth to cataway...come in cataway.....this is earth calling"[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]almost everything you listedis a spiritual analogy, all being listed in the old testament when referring to celebrations, or spiritual rituals..not PAGAN, but Hebrew, of which lineage we've been ADOPTED...remember that, Jesus didn't come toadopt the Jews into Gentiles, but the other way around.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]under WHOSE sponsorship & blessing?....the clergy has to take a back seat to Wall street on this one... the yuletide is about the numbers...many companys depend on this holiday for sales to meet projections.[/align]
Just a holiday to me but also a time of the yr that Christ's birth is reflected on. The Lord did'nt set it aside as a holy day but it sure is a good time for bringing families together and remembering the event of God manifest in flesh.
I agree Leaf. As Christians we remember Christ everyday of the year! Wehave Sunday as the day set aside for worship, the first of the week, and there we observe the Lord's Supper, areminder of His sacrifice. Christmas is a holiday, no more "holy" than any other day of the year. But an excellent opportunity to teach others about the Lord.
Trae
Holiday or Holy Day?
