Should Christmas It Be Celebrated Or Rejected? You Decide!

Bro.tan

Inactive
“Tis the season to be jolly.” Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men. These are sayings associated with Christmas, the day that Jesus the Christ was born; or was it? Certainly this could be a description of Christmas. Celebrations such as these were taking place among non-Christians centuries before Jesus Christ was born! Such customs do not come from the Bible. They have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not originate them, nor were they observed by the prophets (Old Testament) or the apostles (New Testament). We're going to examine Christmas, its origin and customs, and see if in fact Christmas is of God or Pagan. Should it be Celebrated or Rejected?
Peace
on Earth and Goodwill to all men. Why, because we feed and shelter the less fortunate on this one day called Christmas? Shouldn't we care for the less fortunate all year long? Retailers increase the prices on merchandise, to try to recover from poor sales from the 1st three-quarters of the fiscal year.
Christmas (December 25th) is taught to be the day that Jesus the Christ was born. The fact is Jesus was not even born in the winter season. When Jesus was born, "there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." (Luke 2:8). This could never have occurred in Judea in the month of December. The shepherds always brought their flocks from the mountainsides and fields and corralled them no later than October, to protect them from the cold, rainy season that followed. Notice in Songs of Solomon 2:11 and Ezra 10:9, 13, that winter was a rainy season and typically the herds would most likely not be out in the rainy winter season. "It was an ancient custom among Jews of those days to send out their sheep to the fields and deserts about the Passover (early spring), and bring them home at commencement of the first rain," says the Adam Clarke Commentary (Vol. 5, page 370, New York ed.) Continuing, "During the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As..the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November (begins sometime in October), we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole summer. And, as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, Jesus was not born on December 25th, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were in the fields by night. Therefore, to celebrate Jesus' birth date on December 25th is not scripturally sound. Any encyclopedia will tell you that Christ was not born on December 25th. The exact date of Jesus' birth is entirely unknown, as all authorities acknowledge - though by reading the scriptures, it strongly indicates His birth was in the early fall, probably September, approximately six months after Passover. This can also be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia 1967.

Some may say, "It does not matter when He was born. I am just celebrating His birth."; whereas others may say "Jesus is the reason for the season." Is that really the case? If Jesus is the reason for the season, then why didn't He let us know when to celebrate his birth? We claim we love Jesus so much but why don't we observe his death as he commanded us. Luke 22:19, "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me."
He commanded people to observe the Passover, not Easter, which is also a pagan holiday associated with wild sexual orgies. Jesus commanded us to observe the Holy Days in Leviticus the 23rd chapter but we ignore those days and observe traditions that have nothing to do with Jesus. (Matthew 15: 1-9). 1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
 
Where Did Christmas Come From?

World Scope Encyclopedia (1960 vol.3) states, "Christmas, the festival observed by the Christian Church on the 25th day of December in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. No certain knowledge of the birthday of Jesus Christ exists and its observance was not established until some time after the organization of the first churches. The 25th day of December was advocated by Julius 1, Bishop of Rome from 337 to 352, as the most suitable time to commemorate the birth of Christ. The day was finally placed on December 25th, which made it possible for all nations to observe a festival of rejoicing that the shortest day of the year has passed. The end of December was an especially significant time in the northern hemisphere. Days were short; nights long. The sun was at its lowest point. This called for the celebration of special festivals of thanksgiving and encouragement to the waning sun. When at the winter solstice in late December, the days began to lengthen once again, there was great festivity lasting into the first part of January. The reason was that the declining sun---the light of the world--had been reborn and began to gain in strength. Moreover, the newly converted peoples found it convenient to get a kind of substitute for their original celebrations of the solstice ". The birth of Jesus the Christ was assigned the date of December 25th, because on this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra (the Persian's Sun God) celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun).

The history book a Pictorial History of the Italian People states, "Saint Gregory was repelled by Graeco-Roman civilization and, paradoxically, did more than anyone else to facilitate the absorption of pagan residues into Italian Christianity. Through that process of absorption, any paganism hostile to Christianity remaining in Italian rural communities faded away".

The simple fact is that, as more and more people from throughout the Western Roman Empire became converted to an increasingly popular Christianity, they brought many of their favorite customs with them. "The pagan [winter festivals of the] Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence... The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit or in manner... Christians of Mesopotamia accused their western brethren of idolatry and sun-worship for adopting as Christian this pagan festival. Yet the festival rapidly gained acceptance and became at last so firmly entrenched that even the Protestant revolution of the sixteenth century was not able to dislodge it..." (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume III, article "Christmas.") You see this going on in churches today. Churches are constantly recruiting new members from other denominations and they often bring some aspect of their previous church to the new one. If you notice, many Christians today celebrate the Roman Catholic tradition of Lent. Historically, Lent, was not celebrated by Protestant churches.

Even Kwanza, founded 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, which people are starting to celebrate and mingle into the church is based on the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles), one for each day of the observance, and is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. A Kinara (candle holder); Mkeka (placemat preferably made of straw); Mazao (crops, i.e., fruits and vegetables); Vibunzi (ears of corn to reflect the number of children in the household); Kikombe cha umoja (communal unity cup); Mishumaa saba (seven candles, one black, three red, and three green); and Zawadi (gifts that are enriching). Its focus is said to be on these traditional African values. It's been said that Kwanza is a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa, means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili. But the Lord has a harvest festival called the Feast of the Tabernacles. Why don't African-Americans, as well as all Christians, celebrate it?

Leviticus 23:34-41 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
 
as a Christian we celebrate the birth of our Lord who came to redeem us ..
as a Christian we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord as the first of fruits ..


just because some have implanted paganism into them, is NO REASON not to celebrate those acts of love by our Lord ..

just weed out what should not be there ..

the christmas tree (cut, put on a stand and trimmed)
and Easter eggs (fertility rite)
both can be traced back to Babylon to at least 600 bce ..

Jer 10:3 For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
Jer 10:4 “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.
 
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Most Christians recognize December 25 as Jesus's birthday. There is little to no scriptural basis for this day being the day Jesus was born. If one wanted to really know where that date came from, it wouldn't be hard to find where this "tradition" came from. Don't get me wrong, I will do my usual token traditional Christmas day observance with the family, but does the bible give us clues on when he was born? Try and follow along:

Luke 1:5,8,9 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 24:1,2,10,19 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office. 10 The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 19 These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner,

The course of Abia, or Abijah tells us what time of the year it was and when he was serving. Each of these courses (teams) would serve once a week, twice a year and would rotate. I will use the word teams to just facilitate our western idea and thoughts about what a course meant. What happened was during the 3 annual pilgrimages to the Jerusalem temple in Israel for the Feasts, it has been documented up to 1 - 2 million people would come during this time and the priests would serve in weekly rotations. During the annual pilgrimages, all the teams would serve together due to the multitudes of people coming to sacrifice. So Zacharias was the eighth team (1 Chronicles 24), and understanding the Feasts that approximately 8 weeks from Passover is Pentecost, we can understand when he was serving and what time of the year it was. Zacharias would be serving double duties. One week for what would now be his regular duties, and then an additional week for his Pentecost duty. It would look like this:

The following is the order of the priestly divisions in relation to the Feasts:1st week of Nissan/Abib,
1st priestly division of Jehoiarib serves
2nd week of Nissan, 2nd priestly division of Jedaiah serves
3rd week of Nissan, Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread, ALL PRIESTS SERVE
4th week of Nissan, 3rd priestly division of Harim serves
1st week of Iyar, 4th priestly division of Seorin serves
2nd week of Iyar, 5th priestly division of Malkijah serves
3rd week of Iyar, 6th priestly division of Mijamin serves
4th week of Iyar, 7th priestly division of Hakkoz serves
1st week of Sivan, 8th priestly division of Abijah serves
2nd week of Sivan, Shavuot, ALL PRIESTS SERVE (including the division of Abijah

Luke 1:10,11 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

Multitude means a plethora, or a large number of people. And why were they there? It was for the Feast of Pentecost that would have been at the time, upwards of 1 - 2 million people would have descended upon the city (Deuteronomy 16:16) as it was commandment to be there. God wanted us to know that this was during a Feast time.

Luke 1:23,24 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months,

For his wife to conceive, it would not have happened unless he was there, so obviously he was in a hurry to get home.

Luke 1:26,35,36 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

It would now be in December of Elizabeth being pregnant and Mary spent 3 months with her until Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist which would be around Passover in March - April.

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Jesus was conceived in her womb about late December or January, and 9 months from then would be into September or October which would take us into the fall Feasts. Namely Succot or the Feast of Tabernacles.

Understanding the Messianic connection of Jesus to the Feast of Tabernacles, or Succot even helps us grasp something of the mystery of His Incarnation:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

The word "dwelt" here in the Greek means "tabernacled."When He became flesh, Jesus inhabited the temporary shelter of an earthly body, knowing He soon would be required to leave it. Why did He do it? So that we might find a home in Him - not a temporary shelter in the wilderness, but an eternal home in a Kingdom that abides forever.

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (When?)

Mark 9:1,2,5 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Peter saw this as a Feast of Tabernacles event, and that is why he wanted to build a tabernacle.

But back to baby Jesus, he has now been born, and has been wrapped in swaddling cloths and there was no room in the inn. Why was there no room in the inn? Being born during the Feasts, there was a huge influx of Jews to Israel for the annual pilgrimage, and all the rooms were taken. If he was born in December, there would have been plenty of room. That explains why there was no room in the inn.

December as well does get cold in Israel, particularly in December. Luke 2:8-11 has the shepherds out in the fields. The heavy rains start in December and January, and the sheep were not kept out to be hit by rain and snow. They were back in their pens for the winter months. It would have been cruel for God to have Mary make the trek to Jerusalem after her purification to travel over mountainous terrain during the rainy and cold season (Leviticus 12:4; Luke 2:22).

Succot is to be a time of great rejoicing and one is to even bring strong drink if desired (Deuteronomy 14:26).

Deuteronomy 16:14-15 rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

God wants us to party and celebrate when he will dwell with us once again. He wants us to celebrate his birthday. Not just for one day, but for one week!!! So loosen up a bit, and celebrate the day when he first dwelt with man, and will one day return for all of eternity.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
 
I have Jesus' birthday figured as mid February 4 bce ..

According to Josephus, Herod died soon after an eclipse of the moon which is dated by astronomers to 12-13 March 4 BC

Mat 2:19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,

note: southern Judea was a territory of Egypt until 106 ad ..
meaning they only had to travel about 50 miles to be in Egypt ..

Lev 12:4 ‘Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.

Luk 2:22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

note: in 29 ad, there were 3 Sabbaths (counting Pesach/Passover) in the week .. which is congruent to the NT passion week .. not counting the year 0, that would make Jesus 33 in that year, which is congruent to the below verse ..

Luk 3:23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,
 
The Gospel of Luke says Quirinius was governor of Syria when the census was taken.

A MS that describes a soldier who was 'legate of Syria' TWICE during this time frame.

" A Latin inscription found in 1764 about one-half mile south of the ancient villa of Quintilius Varus (at Tivoli, 20 miles east of Rome) states that the subject of the inscription had twice been governor of Syria. This can only refer to Quintilius Varus, who was Syrian governor at two different times. Numismatic evidence shows he ruled Syria from 6 to 4 B.C., and other historical evidence indicates that Varus was again governor from 2 B.C. to A.D. I. Between his two governorships was Sentius Saturninus, whose tenure lasted from 4 to 2 B.C.
 
As Christians, we're ambassadors from God's kingdom living in these secular societies. Christmas is a festival that these secular societies celebrate. For me, I just recognize that the people around me are celebrating Christmas, and I try to recognize their needs and serve them.

For some Christians, this might mean donating toys to families who can't afford them. Or maybe it could mean having people over who don't have friends and family, and giving them a warm, welcoming place for Christmas. Christmas is the time of year that has the highest suicide rates, because there is so much loneliness, isolation and broken families in our communities. That's a real need in our communities we could be meeting at Christmas time, and why shouldn't Christians be the ones forging the way forward to meet those needs?

For me, there are a lot of broken families in extended family, and lots of kids without fathers. If I didn't celebrate Christmas with them, from their perception, I'd just be another man in their life who abandons them at a time when togetherness and family are important to them. I want to be a father to the fatherless in my family, so I celebrate their Christmas with them. They're not Christians, but if I make a special time in the day to tell them the story of Christ's birth, they'll happily listen to me tell it, and it's one of the few times of the year the adults in my family will let my wife and I talk about God with the kids without them complaining about it, or insulting us for what we believe. So why would I pass up an opportunity like that?

I don't think it's really all that helpful to worry about whether we should accept or reject the celebration of Christmas. Instead, shouldn't we simply recognize the fact that people around us are celebrating it, and look for ways to be ambassadors for Christ, serving the real needs of the people around us at Christmas?
 
I believe Greek Orthodox and other denominations celebrate Christmas sometime after December because they believe it is dismissing Christ's real birth.

I've also heard some folks choose to reject Christmas 100%. By that, I mean they choose to not even celebrate the birth of our Lord because every day should hold that celebration, and it would give the secular celebration of Christmas too much credibility.

Of course Christmas in its purest form is a great celebration. It was God being born into the flesh which ultimately lead to our salvation. But we can acknowledge that secularism has entered into the holiday. Christmas trees have a variety of origins, including a concept of paganism (whether that is truly the origin or not isn't the point). Gift giving and receiving is often times regarded as a distraction from Christ's birth...and it certainly can be.

But if I were to grant certain pagan practices involved with Christmas or the gift giving part being true, this wouldn't mean the holiday should be boycotted or even removing the idea of Christmas trees (though that should be based more on what you choose--but a distraction for you might be a good focus for others).

Most Christians celebrate Easter, despite it having pagan origins. "Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god. Some Christians reject Easter for this reason, which is a shame because his sacrifice is probably the greatest reason to celebrate. But the pagan holiday has been taken and remolded into a great celebration of Jesus.

If one feels certain Christmas festivities interfere with what they should be focusing on, then I see no problem is omitting those festivities for himself. But my family, for example, we enjoy the common Christmas festivities as it means we get to come together as a family, eat with each other, exchange gifts, laugh together, and it's all done with Christ remembered at the forefront, as He gave us a reason to be merry.

Many other activities (food and toy donations, inviting people over for Christmas dinner, or just giving someone a nice card to tell them how much you value them) is very much in sync with Christian practice.

Indeed Christmas can and has been twisted in a way to separate Christ from the holiday, but just because there have been a few bad apples doesn't mean it has now spoiled the celebration itself.
 
We claim we love Jesus so much but why don't we observe his death as he commanded us. Luke 22:19, "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me."
He commanded people to observe the Passover,

hi Bro.tan ..
Pesach/Passover and the Pesach Seder indeed were a commandment to the Israelites under the Covenant of Law (of Moses) .. we as Christians are under a new and better covenant, which I like to refer to as the Covenant of Love ..

the Pesach meal, which is commonly referred to as the "Last Supper", Jesus' request of the symbolic act (which you put in red) the breaking of bread and eating it, and drinking a cup of wine, was "whenever you do this" .. was not a commandment ..
however the literal act ..
being a part of the body of Christ ..
being a part of His cup of SELFLESS LOVE ..

was a commandment/requirement .. that is a unified love of man to God and man to one another (Jhn 13:8) ..

he washed our feet, therefore we wash others feet ..
he forgives us, therefore we forgive others ..
he loves us, therefore we love others ..


if we break the cycle between us and others ..
we also break the cycle between us and God ..


so if you do not have compassion towards others, that is like cutting your own throat ..
we MUST LIVE THE LITERAL ACT of the symbolic act that we do .. the symbolic is of Living the Fruits of the Spirit Daily ..

Jam 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mat 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

so I agree with you .. the Christmas Season should be celebrated year round ..
but a specific day, is only the symbolic .. God has always taught the symbolic of the literal should be done .. the same as Baptism, the symbolic of the literal should be done .. His reason for doing the symbolic, are the making of a good discussion ..

the day that we choose Jesus is each of our personal Passover ..
May God Bless you and guide you in ALL His ways ..
 
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the day that we choose Jesus is each of our personal Passover ..

Yeah, you've touched on a lot of important themes through the Bible here ixoye. That we "MUST LIVE THE LITERAL ACT of the symbolic act that we do" is what we've been talking about in another thread, how the OT prophets show God's people that they've abandoned God's commands in favor of simply observing what had become, for them, empty rituals: fasting, feasts and sacrifices. It's the same theme as what Romans 12:1 teaches about how we should worship God.

I agree, Jesus' act at the "last supper" is a powerful symbolic deconstruction of the traditional Hebrew passover, not a command for all future Christians to observe the passover as an annual feast. As Christians, our observance of the "new passover," let's call it, is to offer our lives as a living sacrifice.

if we break the cycle between us and others ..
we also break the cycle between us and God ..

I've begun to realize this more and more over the years, and I think I've really only just begun to understand its significance.
 
Roads .. I really like being here ..
I came from where I plowed the soil and removed rocks ..
here the soil is already tilled and rockless it seems ..
and I can sow and look over and learn sowing techniques as well
I am fairly versed in ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek and translate ..
most bibles usually hold context fairly well, but some of the hidden pearls are edifying ..

as to your last comment, many just gloss over verses like 1Jo 4:20 ..
and sign the contract, and find out they have no clue of what the contract they signed says .. accepting the Gospel of Salvation is a three party contract between God, us & others ..

may God Bless you (even more)
 
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hi Bro.tan ..
Pesach/Passover and the Pesach Seder indeed were a commandment to the Israelites under the Covenant of Law (of Moses) .. we as Christians are under a new and better covenant, which I like to refer to as the Covenant of Love ..

the Pesach meal, which is commonly referred to as the "Last Supper", Jesus' request of the symbolic act (which you put in red) the breaking of bread and eating it, and drinking a cup of wine, was "whenever you do this" .. was not a commandment ..
however the literal act ..
being a part of the body of Christ ..
being a part of His cup of SELFLESS LOVE ..

was a commandment/requirement .. that is a unified love of man to God and man to one another (Jhn 13:8) ..

he washed our feet, therefore we wash others feet ..
he forgives us, therefore we forgive others ..
he loves us, therefore we love others ..


if we break the cycle between us and others ..
we also break the cycle between us and God ..


so if you do not have compassion towards others, that is like cutting your own throat ..
we MUST LIVE THE LITERAL ACT of the symbolic act that we do .. the symbolic is of Living the Fruits of the Spirit Daily ..

Jam 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mat 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

so I agree with you .. the Christmas Season should be celebrated year round ..
but a specific day, is only the symbolic .. God has always taught the symbolic of the literal should be done .. the same as Baptism, the symbolic of the literal should be done .. His reason for doing the symbolic, are the making of a good discussion ..

the day that we choose Jesus is each of our personal Passover ..
May God Bless you and guide you in ALL His ways ..

You,re right we are under a new covenant, but the new covenant does not prohibits us from the Law (commandments). All the apostles kept the law well over the death of Jesus.
 
So exactly where did Christmas come from? World Scope Encyclopedia (1960 vol.3) states, "Christmas, the festival observed by the Christian Church on the 25th day of December in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. No certain knowledge of the birthday of Jesus Christ exists and its observance was not established until some time after the organization of the first churches. The 25th day of December was advocated by Julius 1, Bishop of Rome from 337 to 352, as the most suitable time to commemorate the birth of Christ. The day was finally placed on December 25th, which made it possible for all nations to observe a festival of rejoicing that the shortest day of the year has passed. Moreover, the newly converted peoples found it convenient to get a kind of substitute for their original celebrations of the solstice". The birth of Jesus the Christ was assigned the date of December 25th, because on this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). The history book a Pictorial History of the Italian People states, "Saint Gregory was repelled by Graeco-Roman civilization and, paradoxically, did more than anyone else to facilitate the absorption of pagan residues into Italian Christianity. Through that process of absorption, any paganism hostile to Christianity remaining in Italian rural communities faded away". Check your history, you'll find that the customs associated with Christmas were celebrated some 2000 years before Jesus.

But if we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where did the pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin? It started and originated in the original Bablyhon of ancient Nimrod. Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah built the tower of Babel. Nimrod married his own mother, whose name is Semiramis. After Nimrod's, Semiramis claimed a full grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.

Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonia "Queen of Heaven," and Nimrod, under various names, became the "divine son of heaven." Through the generations, in this idolatrius worship, Nimrod also became the false Messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this false Bablyhonish system, the "Mother and Child" (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn) became chief objects of worship. This worship of "Mother and Child" spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt it was Isis and Osiris. In Asia, Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. Even in Greece, China, Japan, Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ. The Lord God of Israel made reference to the worshiping and sacrificing to the "Queen of Heaven" in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
 
The Lord God of Israel made reference to the worshiping and sacrificing to the "Queen of Heaven" in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

"we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one"

Bro.tan, what's your understanding of what's taught in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13?
 
I would expect our Master to be appalled at the greed of Christmas and would probably not approve of the timing of the celebration (to coinside with precisely with the winter solstice from those many years ago?). I can find no where in scripture that says we should celebrate the birth of Christ. Even still I cannot darken my heart to the intent of the holiday. Who can be against peace on Earth good will toward men? I won't stop being a christian on Christmas because I don't like whats going on around me. Mom puts up the silly tree. And she yells at the TV when an oblong ball flys into a box. Oh well.....
 
If Christmas has become an idol for one (ie, he is more celebratory for the non-Christian part than forChrist's birthday), then that is legitimate concern. But for instance, Advent is best to be celebrated in anticipation of Christmas -- ie, the birth of Christ.
 
Just some random facts not yet mentioned...

In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ (ok I see now it was mentioned :p).

Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.

Christmas is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass,” which is derived from the Old English Cristes mæsse (first recorded in 1038). The letter “X” in Greek is the first letter of Christ, and “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid 1500s.

Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate Christ's birth. End of the year after all is done. The 7th last day of the year.
 
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Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.

I really love St. Nicholas and even considered Nicholas for my confirmation name (partly because I was born on December 25th).

Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate Christ's birth. End of the year after all is done. The 7th last day of the year.

Indeed. Advent/Christmas is the beginning of the liturgical year. I can't think of anyone else who is more deserving of a birthday celebration :)
 
I agree with most of what the OP posted. Yet personally think we should let Jesus decide if we should celebrate the birth of our Lord and God. Jesus tells me it is OK to celebrate it, but it is not something he wants us to do.


Personally I believe the way most people celebrate Christmas is not of God. Most people in my opinion are just celebrating for the joy of celebrating.


My son in law’s dad made a pronouncement that I believe goes for most people in the USA. He said that he enjoyed Christmas music, but did not believe in any of it.


People have replaced Jesus with Santa.


Jesus came and took my wife one Christmas morning five years ago. Christmas season has never been a good time for me, but now the only joy the season brings is having the family get together.
 
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