WHAT HAPPEN TO " A MERRY CHRISTMAS " GREETINGS?

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on December 22, 2011 at 4:39am

Jesus is the reason for the season....my motto.

I have made all my presents for my gift giving this year. Next year, if the Lord wills, more will be given that comes from my hands. I am removing commercial from my Christmas. This year I am bringing more of Christ into this day set aside for worship our Lord. I didn't just start this practice....I've always made some gifts, but I plan to continue removing modern from the day until it's completely gone. Since Danny went to be with the Lord, the kids spend the night with me. My eldest grandson, *Treyster* or *Sweet Lou* decided he liked that idea of spending Christmas Eve at Gammy's, so we will do it again. It's kind of hilarious, with my house only having one real bedroom, but.....good experience for all...tolerating each other for one entire weekend. 

I wish each and every one of you a very Blessed Christmas.

Love you all,

Rita

P>S> Don't forget to buy trash bags!

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Permalink Reply by Jane Smith on December 23, 2011 at 5:46pm

My motto, too, Rita.  As everyone knows, the entire world erupts in a mysterious type of joy and wonderment when Christmas arrives. Of course for most it's the presents and Santa Claus, not Jesus they are celebrating. But even so, it's a supernaturally holy time when nearly everyone bubbles over with joy. 

I find it is easy to witness to ppl at Christmas as they are in a very receptive mood. Like last year, when I would go shopping, the cashiers were all saying, "How are you today?" The Holy Spirit had me respond, " Oh just great! One day closer to Heaven!! You should of seen the looks I got, but then I simply explained, "With every Christmas I'm one year closer to my heavenly reward, because I asked Jesus to come into my heart and He saved my soul- I've got my ticket to Heaven!!!"   You know, most didn't know what I meant exactly, but somewhere within their spirits they knew it was true.  I was planting seeds. Maybe ppl thought I was crazy, but I didn't care. The Holy Spirit told me to say it and I obeyed.

The thing I love about Christmas is how the Holy Spirit has adjusted our thinking a little more each year about ways we can make it more Christ honoring. I had never experienced Christmas until I got saved at 19 as my family was not into it. That year I was so excited to go out and do all the things I thought Christians did, so we got a tree and all the trimmings, strung lights up, got a wreath, played Christmas music, made Christmas cookies, shopped til we dropped finding presents for everyone etc. etc.. But as time went on, the HS would say to my heart, "this is not Christmas". From there He began showing me alternate ways to celebrate.

Like for one thing, to me personally, He said that presents were unnecessary, because it wasn't our birthday- it was Jesus's birthday. Jesus is the birthday boy, not us! I got it immediately and from then on out we took the focus completely off the shopping and presents. That resulted in us having a more stress-free Christmas- we could take it easy and enjoy our family and friends. Our kids never became obsessed with Christmas presents. We explained to them that it is like Christmas all year round when we know Jesus.  And we let them know that we did not have to wait for Christmas to exchange gifts- that is something that can be done anytime of the year when we see a need. We are so blessed as God's kids that we don't have to wait all year long to be blessed just on one day. Well it has been a wonderful thing to see how easily our kids accepted this point of view and instead of looking for a pile of presents on CHRISTmas, they have learned to be giving and sensitive to the needs of others.

Another idea that came straight from the HS is to make a birthday cake for Jesus on His special day. Our kids just love this. We all gather around the table and sing the Happy Birthday song to Jesus and lay gifts at the tree having to do with wrapped up little prayers of how we want to grow in Christ, love and serve  Him more in the coming year. It is incredible to see the gifts the kids at each age have thought up in their little hearts to bless Jesus with.  Our Christmas tree has no ornaments that are silly or wordly- only ones that point to Christ.

Another tradition we have is to sit around the table and each of us shares how God has been faithful in meeting our needs throughout the year. And we constructed a large wooden cross for our front yard which is lit up with Christmas lights. No Santa and the elves at our house- the Cross of Jesus and the nativity scene with angels round about.  So, these are some of the ways that Christmas has progressed at our home. We enjoy the closeness of family and friends and we especially love those years when God sends someone our way to minister to.  We take communion together and worship the Lord. We sing songs that are about the true meaning of Christmas not the worldly type that are so popular with the saved and unsaved alike. Like I said, we didn't make all these changes in one year- the changes have evolved over the years as we have sought the HS to make our Christmases holy and a time of peace.

I would love to hear your Christmas traditions, too.

I wish everyone I've met here this year a blessed Christmas and a new year of growth in the Lord :)

Love,

Jane

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Permalink Reply by Jane Smith on December 24, 2011 at 3:40pm

Hi Char,

LOL, I have been there done that- sounds like a replay of my earlier Christmases. Really and truly that is when I realized Christmas should not be about the presents. You would be amazed how calming Christmas can be when your realize Christ IS our present and let all that go each year. You definitely see the worst in humanity in Walmart lines lol. It is as natural for us NOT to shop for presents as it is for most to shop for them. We don't feel like we are missing a thing, because like I said, we feel so blessed all year round.

On another note, I am wondering if others have supernatural blessings come their way, as I  always do, the week leading up to Christmas? I have really wondered if this is something that happens in my life only or if other believers experience it too. Like everyone else, I am excited about Christmas and thinking about my wonderful Jesus and all He did for us.  I'm not even thinking about me, yet every, single year the most wonderful blessings come my way the week leading up to Christmas. This year was no exception- I'm just amazed and filled with awe at the wonderful things that happened to me this week that made my week so joyous.  I wish it would be like this for everyone.

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Permalink Reply by dean burrows on December 26, 2011 at 6:10am

Hi Larry M.     saw your post and could only agree. Yesterday at our service we shared and one of the re-occuring themes was that Merry Christmas  was the most joyful greeting .

          the only other re-occuring thought was that the enemy has done his work well. Until we first greeted with Merry Christmas others wer afraid to do so. The media  has warped our thinking and has created great fear in our minds. We seem to have forgotten The promises our Lord.

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Permalink Reply by Leyna on January 4, 2012 at 9:57pm

Personally, I'm one of those who does not celebrate Christmas at all, because of it's pagan roots.  I'm a literalist....thing are either yes or no, good or bad, wrong or right, etc. with me....so it's very hard for me to say "Merry Christmas" when those words actually mean" Merry Christ-Mass"...the celebration of our Lord's death, not His birth.  And knowing that it was not even celebrated for hundreds of years after Christ's birth! And that it was being celebrated thousands of years before He was even born!

I see what the Bible says about not worshiping the Lord in the same way that the pagans do.   I see how God says in Leviticus 23 that His holy Feasts are HIS Feasts, yet in Amos  and Isaiah, He says that He hates OUR feasts....maybe I'm wrong, but it sounds like He is saying that He hates our "version" of HIS Feasts....Christmas, Halloween parties, Easter egg hunts, etc. etc."  I don't celebrate any of those holidays at all.   If someone says "Merry Christmas" to me, I say "God bless you!" instead.    I don't see the point in Christmas at all-it breaks a lot of the commandments if you ask me.....idolatry (of the tree and the whole holiday!), greed, lust of the eyes, gluttony (eating all that food), spending all our money while there are so many hungry, homeless people around the world!  The stress of it all-I see so many stressed out people over the holidays-freaking out because of all they HAVE to do for the holidays!  It makes me sick to be honest!    

I see no problem with celebrating Jesus's birthday, but the fact that He did not tell us celebrate it, or to give us His actual birthdate tells me that it's not a commanded holiday for us to celebrate.  And if we are celebrating Jesus' birthday, then why are we spending so much money breaking our bankbooks to buy presents for everyone BUT Jesus?   I think He would love it if instead of buying that new ipad for the kids, that we spend that thousand dollars to go buy a bunch of coats and meals for some homeless people in our city, or giving it to a reputable charity.   I think we owe it to tell people the TRUTH about the roots of Christmas, and to use that time to tell them that none of us knows the date of the birth of Jesus.  

It's just me, but I think the perfect way to spend Christmas is to NOT give presents, decorate a tree, eat everything in site, stress out, etc....but to just give to the homeless, visit someone in a nursing home that has no one else, and spend the day worshipping the Lord without all the lights, gifts, food and stress to our pocketbooks.   If I'm going to celebrate Jesus' birth, it's not going to be on December 25, which is the day that was decided to be used because it's the same "birthday" as every pagan god that was invented.  And I will not group my God in with them. I am going to worship Him in spirit and truth and not the traditions of men.  I know most will not agree with me, but I think that if a holiday has anything to do with God, then we owe it to ourselves to totally research it to know it's roots, and to search the Bible to see if the Lord commands us to celebrate it in the first place.  The Bereans were commended in the NT because they "tested all things" first, before doing them or believing them.  I think we should all do the same. :)

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on January 5, 2012 at 3:43am

One the other hand, Leyna, I celebrate Christmas to honor the fact that God sent His Son as the Sacrifice for us. I celebrate Easter in thanksgiving for Christ loving us so much that He would lay down His physical life for us, that He would take the sins of the world upon Himself out of love for us.

I celebrate Christmas as a day to honor, not only Christ, but His children....by giving a special gift to them, one created from my hands, out of love for them.

We all have reasons for celebrating Christmas. Not all people celebrate dishonoring God, but to honor Him.

Blessings to you.....

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Leyna on January 5, 2012 at 9:42am

I totally agree....but why not celebrate those days on a day that the pagans did not have their festivals?   Why not celebrate Jesus' birth on December 1, for instance?   I just can't stand the thought of grouping Him in with Mithra and the other "gods" of the pagans.   We can read about Jesus' birth compared to John the Baptist's birth to get a better idea of when He was born-and it was not on December 25.

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Permalink Reply by Leyna on January 5, 2012 at 10:18am

Yes, we should always celebrate the fact that Jesus lived and died for us.  But like I said above-the Bereans were commended for studying EVERYTHING, to make sure it lined up with Scriptures.  So we should study every celebration, especially if it is supposed to have anything to do with our Lord.   Do a google search for "pagan roots of Christmas" and let me know what you think after reading about it.  Study the Bible and see if you see anything in it at all about the disciples decorating a tree and giving expensive presents to each other.....let me know what you find.  Read about the Feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23, and see if they are not binding forever, as an observance.   If there is nowhere in the Bible of putting up a tree (Read Jeremiah 10), then I don't think we should do it.  We should show love to each other, help those in need, and tell others about what Jesus did for us when He died for our sins.  Is there anywhere in the Bible that tells us to celebrate His birthday?  I haven't found it.  Instead, we are told not to keep the "traditions of men".

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 5, 2012 at 4:27pm

Leyna,

If I may interject into this conversation, I would like to say that I see no need for someone to google pagan roots of Christmas if the Lord is not specifically leading the person to research this subject and googling is not always the best or most reliable method of conducting research and gathering facts anyway.

Regarding the Feasts in Leviticus 23, we are Christians today. How do they apply to us since once we became born again, we are neither Jew nor Gentile but a new creation and not under the law?

I remember reading one of those emails a few years ago...it was one of those that gets sent around a lot asking recipients to forward it and this one was about celebrating Christmas. I don’t remember the source and can’t give a reference but from my memory I can paraphrase what it was about because I was very impressed by it.

It gave reasons, not of why we should celebrate Christmas, but of what we should celebrate at Christmas.

We should celebrate the prophet’s pronouncement of the birth of Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:6.

We should celebrate the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus in Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:4-5.

We should celebrate the angel of God’s pronouncement of the birth of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:10-14.

We should celebrate the shepherds' pronouncements of the birth of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:16-17.

We should celebrate the timing of God the Father for the salvation of believers in Galatians 4:4-5.

We should celebrate the visitation of mankind by God the Son for our salvation in John 1:1 and John 1:14 and Matthew 1:22-23.

Most historians believe His birth probably occurred in September, approximately 6 months after Passover, and from what I understand, the main reason this is believed is because shepherds were in the fields on that night and that would not be the case during a cold Judean winter.

Some people make a big issue out of December 25th and pagan origins but not me for I know that God knows hearts and so I celebrate Christmas Day and rejoice that Jesus certainly was born and because of that I am able to lift up my heart with hands that have been made holy only by the blood of Jesus which was shed for me to redeem me and to save me and to save you, too.

Char is saying that her observing Christmas has no pagan meanings to her.

Was Jesus born? Yes. I will celebrate His birth and also the day of His resurrection simply because He is my Lord and Savior and in Him I have freedom and I am free to celebrate these days. If you want to attach pagan stuff to the church and to Christians who find joy and peace in celebrating Christmas, then that is fine for you and is rules you can live by but you do not need to force your rules on others because nothing in my obervance of Christmas or Easter either one carry a pagan meaning to me. If it does to you, then by all means do not observe those holidays.

Perhaps you should read Romans 14.

 

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Permalink Reply by Leyna on January 5, 2012 at 11:08pm

I'm sorry if I have offended you, and I am most certainly not trying to "force any rules" on anyone.  Of course you are free to celebrate the birth of Jesus any day you choose....same as I am free to not celebrate it because I do not want to celebrate it in the same way as the pagans did. We each have a choice, and that is my choice.  I apologize if I sounded like I was trying to force anything on you-please forgive me for sounding that way.  I love Jesus with all my heart, and just want Him to be represented in the right way, that's all.  

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Permalink Reply by janet walker on January 5, 2012 at 6:31pm

God showed us how to celebrate the birth of His son, He put the star in the sky to proclaim to the shepherds, He led the wise men to the child with their gifts, He made reverent the animals around Him as He laid in a manger.  To me, and this is as others say IMO, God gave us the guide lines for Christ celebration.  Prior to Jesus birth, how many birthdays are celebrated in the Bible?  We read of many miraculous births form barren women and ancient men, but God did not place a bright star in the sky or lead wise men with gifts to the birth sites.  So I will celebrate Dec. 25th as the birthday of our Lord, with all the glitter and joy that i can in accordance to my interpretation of the Bible.  If i were living in the time Christ was born, i would have taken my finest possessions, followed the light and celebrate at that time.  As it is, i was not born in that era and so in my time, I will celebrate His birthday on a day designated that we all can remember.

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on January 6, 2012 at 3:22am

Leyna,

I believe if the Lev 23 feasts are for anyone, they would be for the non Christian Jew. Instructions for the feasts were given directly by God and directly to the Israelites. Some of these feasts require blood sacrifices and Christ has already paid that price for all mankind forever. Passover is definitely a Jewish tradition, to remember their escape from the angel of death while in Egypt. It is a perfect picture of Christ and what belief of Him and accepting Him as our Savior frees us from. He is our Passover. He is also our Atonement. However, as these holidays appear, they are reminder of what Christ has done for us. Christmas is the day I celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to die for us. Easter celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the same as we will be resurrected.

Blessings.....

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