Celebrating Christmas is an Insult to Christ

I think the main point is should we listen to a stick in the mud or continue celebrating the Birth of Hope? Christmas is a celebration of the incarnation and the incarnation is central to the faith. Is that not something worth celebrating? Does celebrating the fact God became man insult God? Hardly, taking time to remember that God was willing to place Himself on earth as helpless baby is not insulting.

 

"Should we celebrate something for which there is no sanction from the Bible?"
"
Ahum... there are those early chapters of no less than 2 of the Gospels.

 

Let's see... when the angels appeared to the shepherds it seems to me that they were in a celebration mode. I mean, "Glory to God in the Highest" "A Savior is born!" Uh, these men as well as rest of the Jews had been waiting for a Messiah--and HE HAD COME!!!!

Even before His birth, Mary magnified the Lord. Elizabeth told Mary that the baby leapt w/in her womb when Mary came to her house.

Prophecy had been fulfilled!!!!!

I celebrate His birth, b/c I know it was the first step to His death and resurrection for me!

And I think of it this way. The Jewish people are known for their celebrations and feasts --even though some of those feasts were born out of the hard times they had gone through.

Yes, Jesus is seated upon the Throne. Do you think it offends Him when we thank Him for coming to earth and giving up the glory of Heaven to live as a man? I don't.

If we don't celebrate His birth, why should we celebrate anything? If we're going to split hairs why should we celebrate birthdays, Valetine's Day, Memorial Day, anniversaries--I don't see scripture telling us to.

Take care.

 

Every atheist would agree with your overall theme if not your logical progression. As for me and mine, we will serve the Lord and celebrate His birth.

 

John 3-16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

God gave the ultimate gift. More than anyone else can give. Christmas is celebrated because Christmas is our chance to give to each other. Even if it is just a card or handshake!

Having said that, I know that Jesus wasn't born on Dec 25th and I am not fond of the commercialism of Christmas either, but I'm afraid you are too late to change it now.

If you don't want to celebrate a symbolic birthday for Christ then don't!

Get a grip and move on.

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!!

Tam

 

I thank God for the blessing that we still have many faithful believers like Procyon on this world today.
Nobody knows the date of Christ's birth on earth and there is no clue that Apostles celebrated the birthday of Jesus. It might be end of April or beginning of May. Dec 25 was the birth day of Solar god or the date of festivals of pagan god religion. On Dec 22, the Solar god was almost dying and then resurrected on 24th, especially in Northen Europe.
Truth is that we should have Jesus born in our heart, which means the born-again in Jesus Christ. But the people are so eager to follow the worldly pagan religion.


Galatian 4:10
Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

 

Why do you go to church on Sunday? Sunday has its origin in the pagan world.

Why do you buy gas for your car? So much of the gas we use comes from Muslim countries.

 

Celebrating Christmas is an Insult to Christ

It could be depending on how you celebrate it. Are you going to celebrate like the heathens did?

quote:
-------------------------------------------------
But the truth is that today Christ is seated on the Throne in Heaven, and we have reduced Him to a Babe in the Manger.
-------------------------------------------------
Yes, He is on the throne, but He is also living in my heart. I don't reduce Him to a babe lying in a manger. On my nativity scene I have a sign stateing, "Jesus came to save you!" John 3:16~. The star thats hovering over the nativity looks like a cross. I hope people get the message.
I guess I'm just one of those people who thinks Jesus can be everywhere and anywhere. I'm the quirky one could bake Christmas cookies and think on His sweetness, or put up a Christmas tree and think about Jesus being the Branch.

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Although I worship the Christmas tree, I will remember the tree on Calvary that he hung on, when I gaze on the gifts under the tree I will think of the gift that he gave us unselfishly.
I don't know about anyone else, but to me it is the mind set. Yes if you look on it as evil...trust me it will be evil. A few years back I did the whole no tree, no cookies, no Fa,la,la la la.....not nothing that would resemble me celebrating a pagan ritual. But try as hard as I may I couldn't keep the rest in the outside world to follow suit. During Holloween most churches offer an alternative for the children in their community to keep them safe and also giving a oppertunity to witness to them about Jesus. So what were our church fathers thinking way back then when they took a pagan festival and try to turn it into a witness for Christ? Should they of just let old slooth foot have another holiday that no one will fight aginst? Or take an oppertunity to turn it around and to get peoples eyes off the world and onto a babe that was born of a virgin, that would later die on a cross and shed His blood and on the third day rise agian, so that men should not perish but have everlating life? John 3:16 sums it up.

 

quote by Music4Him:
-------------------------------------------------
Although I worship the Christmas tree, I will remember the tree on Calvary that he hung on, when I gaze on the gifts under the tree I will think of the gift that he gave us unselfishly.
-------------------------------------------------

Opps! That should read....Although I don't worship the Christmas tree,.......

it's always good to recheck post before posting them or you may get misunderstood.

Also I missed putting a word in here too.
I'm the quirky one could bake Christmas cookies and think on His sweetness.....

Should read....
I'm the quirky one that could bake Christmas cookies and think on His sweetness....

Ya'll don't even grade me on my misspellings or I might be in real trouble!


Merry Christmas~

 

my opinion on the matter:

Yes, Christmas has become secularized and commercialized. But we shouldn't let the world win. As Christians, we should take back the Christ--the CHRISTmas--that is ours. We celebrate and remember the Incarnation at Christmas, the great act of God becoming man that He might take away the sins of the world. And in celebrating the birth of Jesus, we celebrate His entering the world, His becoming man for our sake, and we also celebrate our faith in His coming again at the end of time.

We can throw out the secular and keep what is sacred and pass that on to our children. We can make Christmas about Christ rather than trees and Santa Claus. Interestingly enough, I know a Catholic couple down the street who celebrate with presents, etc. on "St. Nick's Day" as a day of giving and remembering the things done by Christians before us, and then they spend Dec. 25th as Jesus' birthday--after Thanksgiving (I think) they set up a nativity set in their home without the baby Jesus and when their kids wake up on Christmas morning, baby Jesus is in the manger and they really make Christmas about the Incarnation and use another day as a day of giving--though, I recall once the mother was explaining to me that they tell their children the ultimate gift comes on Christmas Day (the gift of Jesus to the world). I've always thought that was a cool idea. And a good way to beat the commercialization of Christmas in our modern culture.

 

Bah, humbug! As Dickens would say.

Cheers, and God bless us all,

Jim

Note: Actually Dickens didn't write Bah,,just humbug, but the world has added that expression and we have been caught up in that falsehood. Shame! Shame!

 

"Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Rom. 10:4-10

 

I have recently learned that it is not clear that Christmas has pagan origins (though Christmas was mixed in with them after Christ's birth when rulers attempted to make a pagan holiday on the 25th after Christians were already thinking this was the birthdate of Jesus). See this article from Touchstone magazine. This is an excerpt:

As Christians, we should always want the facts.

Please read the article before commenting -- it's not that long.

 

procyon, if you check the actual data, you will find that December 25 was the day the Magoi found and worshiped the Christ child. That is a wonderful day for us to celebrate Him, too.
http://www.setterfield.org/star.htm
and
http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/1996/Dec96Imprimis.pdf

 

Dec 25 cannot be the birth day for Jesus
because Luke 2:8 says : sheperds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

The custom of Israel is to have flock in the field only during April-October.

Ezra 10:9 says It was ninth month, 20th day of the month ( which means December by Gregory calendar)all the people sat in open square of house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
v 13 : it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside

Jeremiah 36:22 describes the scene wit fire burning on the hearth at the time of December (ninth month).

The problem is that celebrating the Christmaas was not originated from the true believers but from pagan festivals, full of carnal misconducts.

Procyan said very well that we should worship the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts truly, everyday and remember Him and His death and resurrection every week.

Jesus said " For this cause I was born" Jn 18:37
He was born to die. We should remember He has come to die for us and for our sins.

 

While Helen's source is mistaken (Jan 6th according to the EO is the traditional day of the Magi's arrival), it by no means negates Dec 25th as good a day as any other to celebrate the Birth of Christ.

 

Other than giving a person a choice to join in either a pagan ritual or hearing the good news? I don't know how many times I wished there was something else to do on Holloween night when my girls were growing up. My mother in law thought it was unnatural to not let them go trick or treating.

 

Celebrate the Reformation?