Posted on 12/04/2005 7:27:20 AM PST by DouglasKC
My intent is not to be hostile either. I'm sharing information. I realize it's a touchy subject. I do celebrate those days. These are the days created by Christ. He calls them "his" days:
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
" One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
People often use this verse from Romans 14 to justify not celebrating the days God created.
I will admit that if you read this verse by itself, with the presupposition and bias that it is talking about God's Holy Days, then I can see your point.
But if you approach it without this bias, and read all of Romans 14 to put this verse into context, you will see that the controversy isn't about holy days of God, but about certain days pertaining to eating and drinking.
Further, there is a specific term in the new testament greek that refers to the holy days that Christ created. This term is not mentioned in Romans 14.
Thank you for your blessing and may God bless you in your search for truth.
God can do whatever He likes.
Of course Jesus could have been born on that actual date. I should have said based on Biblical accounts of the weather conditions, He most likely was not born mid/late-December.
Excellent article!
Actually, God does choose certain days for major biblical events to occur. These days are the holy days he created. For example, the new testament church was founded on Pentecost. Christ died on Passover. That is why the holy days were created and why they are important to God. They mark, portend and signify salvational events. When kept, they increase understanding of God's plan.
b'shem Y'shua
Not impossible, and might be, but most importantly, it's the day set aside to comptemplate what really matters:
O Lord,
amazing is your love
that you come to us
so vunerable,
so open,
a babe crying in the night.
From the beginning
you were aware of rejection,
of how little room there was for you,
No room at the inn,
No room in many hearts,
So little room in modern life,
and yet,
rejected or not,
you wait patiently
for the heart that will hear your calling,
like Mary did,
like the shepherds,
like Andrew, and Peter and John.
O Lord,
that night so long ago,
you ignited hope
as the angels sang,
hope
that says
there is balm
for all the wounds,
there is rest from all labors,
there is true peace.
O Lord,
let us once again in our hearts
hear the song the angels sang,
and seeing the babe in the manger,
fall on our knees,
amazed at such radical love.
They could take a lesson from the Whoos down in Whooville. If they really believed that Christ was the reason for the season then you could remove all of the ribbons, the bows, the packages and trees and the day would still exist. Of course it wouldn't because it's not in holy scripture...which is exactly why you need all the trappings to give it a...semblance of authority. In my opinion.
Ezr 6:22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Two billion people celebrating the birth of Christ speaks to me more than the few who don't.
"But since Jesus never taught His apostles to keep Christmas, ...., shouldn't that make us question whether Christmas is something Jesus really wants or appreciates?"
The logic of this line of argumentation is so laughable, that I can't believe anyone would take it seriously. To illustrate, let's substitute something else that Jesus never commanded His apostles to do:
"But since Jesus never wrote anything Himself and never told His apostles to write the New Testament...shouldn't that make us question whether the New Testament is something Jesus really wants or appreciates?"
Gee, its really true folks - Jesus never wrote anything in His whole ministry - let's all burn our bibles now!!!
And as for all the posturing about observing the feasts that our Lord appointed, I bet the author completely rejects the books that describe the institution of Hannukah, never mind celebrating the feast as Jesus did.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.
b'shem Y'shua
"hence it follows that that the Blessed Virgin Mary having, as the Evangelist St Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and conceived the Saviour of the world in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say March, the Birth of Jesus must have taken place in the month of December."
For all the protestations above about "adopting pagan festivals", St. John Chrysostom's account is far more realistic in that it was the date of the Annunciation (March 25th) which was the determining factor for the date of the Nativity.
There is complicated OT typology which the fathers used to determine the date of the Annunciation, as well as St. Luke's Gospel, but the ancient Christian belief was that Adam was created on March 25th, Christ became incarnate on March 25th and Christ was crucified on March 25th.
All this nonsense about "Christianising" pagan festivals is hogwash spewed forth by the ignorant who have no Tradition and who don't understand how the early Christians read the Bible.
AAARRRGGHHhhhhhh.................
meh,
I have read sillier reasons not to celebrate Christmas. My main reason is because I am cheap and hate buying stuff for people so I tell all my friends I just converted to being a Jehovah Witness.
John Chrysostom was a rabid anti-semite
and by extension John is someone who hates
the Christ as Y'shua is a Jewish Rabbi
who hates tradition and teaches the Word of G-d.
b'shem Y'shua
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