Sabbath Day Devotion December 13, 2014 Taking Christ Out of Christmas – Are you bothered by the fact that Corporate America is doing its best to take Christ out of Christmas? Retail stores put up banners proclaiming Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. Many believe we should boycott those businesses for their sacrilegious failure to acknowledge Christianitys most sacred holiday. At the risk of causing the natives to revolt… I am going to share my thoughts about “taking Christ out of Christmas.” I think those who complain about the so-called anti-Christian holiday greetings should consider a few facts before blaming retailers for being anti-Christian. I believe Christians should be grateful when stores remove Christ from their annual orgies of crass commercialism. A casual scan of the Gospels reveals that one of Jesus main messages was one of anti-materialism. The way Christmas is celebrated is more of a glorification of greed, gluttony and consumerism rather than of the lifestyle Jesus advocated. Whether you want to believe it or not, Christmas was hijacked by non-Christians from the very beginning. When I think about the most popular symbols of the season, I have to wonder if Jesus would approve. The Christmas tree, mistletoe, holly, wreaths, gift exchanges and Yule logs, to name just a few, ALL had their origins in the ancient pagan rituals of pre-Christian Europe. Even Santa Claus, that beloved mythical character that we teach our children to love and believe in, can be traced to ancient Germanic pagan mythology. What about the date of Christmas? No one knows the exact day or year Jesus was born. The only written accounts of his birth are found in just two books of the New Testament – the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke – and neither indicate the time of year, let alone the exact date or year of his birth. So, why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25? Once again, we can thank the pagans for another of their many contributions to the Christmas celebration. The date corresponds to the ancient Roman winter solstice festival called Saturnalia, which featured wreaths, feasts, the lighting of candles and the exchanging of gifts. You might be surprised to learn that the man-made tradition of celebrating Christmas did not start until the 4th century – during the reign of Constantine (no surprise there). There is absolutely nothing biblical about the celebration of the birth of Christ. You might also be surprised to know that the Puritans in England and America, during the 17th century, banned the observance of Christmas because they were opposed to the ritualism that had developed. I wonder what they would think today. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Way too much… of what modern-day Christians practice and teach is based on man-made (human) traditions – and has absolutely nothing to do with Christ. To make matters worse… our traditions will eventually seem “biblical” if we practice them long enough. Folks, if it’s not in the Bible, it is NOT biblical! Has Corporate America taken Christ out of Christmas? The real question should be: What would Jesus do? Would Jesus tolerate and condone the primarily pagan holiday that we have named after him? I don’t think so. In my not-so-humble opinion… the popular greetings of the season should be the least of our concerns. Our time and energy would be much better spent seriously and prayerfully considering what Jesus would do, as well as what Jesus would have us do. Don’t just GO to church; BE the Church Kit Pharo
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 13:30:38 +0000
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