Good morning, Facebook friends. It is now 07:04 here in Illinois, i. e. 13:04 G. M. T. in the UK, on Thursday, 04 December 2014. I believe the LORD has given me another Serendipity, epiphany this morning as I was praying during breakfast, therefore, I believe HE has given me testimony/revelation to share. I want to be certain my lifelong friends Sara Nielsen and Judy Hopkins see it, for some of it goes back to when we were in Junior MYF in what is today Marion Aldersgate United Methodist Church in our pre high school days. One evening Rolenna Frattini, who along with her husband Steve, Senior where our sponsors, asked us, What is your favorite lesson from the past year? I answered, I cant choose between the Christmas and Easter lessons, for the go together. That was always the FOCUS too of my 41 years of active ministry as a United Methodist pastor. However, back in the late 1980s I did become more aware of the pagan roots that became part of these holy observances, especially the fact that the term Easter itself has a pagan etymology as well as such things as Christmas trees, mistletoe, yule logs, etc. Then there is the fact that we know Jesus was not born on December 25th and that we are not commanded in Scripture to celebrate His birthday, His Resurrection, yes, but not His birthday. Then it began to bug me that so many of our Carols are secular, not spiritual, in nature. However, I think that some of my joy for these celebrations is beginning to return. That is for certain in a SPIRITUAL sense. If the CHURCH spiritualized some pagan traditions in her early days of evangelization, So what? GOD HAS USED THAT FOR HIS HONOR AND GLORY TO SAVE MANY SOULS. Romans 8:28 has been one of my FAVORITE SCRIPTURE VERSES, since I was almost killed in an automobile accident on Saturday, 27 February 1965, on the outskirts of Herrin, Illinois, at age 17: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them--NLT. God has used these pagan traditions for HIS GOOD, ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE FOR US. AMEN!!! However, I still do not appreciate Halloween, as I have REAL STRUGGLES with that one now. I view it as a totally demonic observance. Also, if I see an Easter Bunny in Walmart again this year, I am going to ask him/her, What do you have to do with the Resurrection of Jesus? Oh, BTW, since the etymology of the term Easter is Babylonian, i. e. totally pagan, I have come to prefer to call OUR MOST HOLY DAY, RESURRECTION DAY. God bless us, everyone, and have a JOYOUS ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND NEW YEAR. (y)
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:27:26 +0000
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