7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:7-14)
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:7-14)
The angles sang with joy at the birth of Jesus Christ, the heavens rang with their joy. Yet I'm supposed to sit in my house with shades drawn and the TV turned off lest "It's A Wonderful Life" pollute my soul just because some cults and even actual evangelicals say that celebrating Christmas is evil? Even the angels celebrated the birth of Christ, are these cults (and even actual evangelicals) telling me I'm not worthy enough to share in the angels joy?
I'm talking primarily about cults like the United Church of God and the Jehovah's Witnesses, but there's other cults like some fundamental Mormons and some actual Christian congregations who have problems with Christmas. Many of their problems are legitimate, others problems not so much:
It's too Commercial - I definitely agree, so don't be commercial. Problem solved. Christmas is a Christian holiday, let the world see that we as Christians are celebrating the birth of our savior and not celebrating 50% Off at Walmart. We were gifted by our Heavenly Father with free will, and that applies to everything in my life, so I use that free will to chose "Once In Davids Royal City" over "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "Gesu Bambino" over "Santa Baby".
It's Originally a pagan Celebration - that true, but it doesn't mean it has to be one now. Sol Invictus is not invited to my house, nor Saturn, Odin, or any other ancient false deity. I'm celebrating the birth of Christ my savior and brother and the promises that our Heavenly Father kept. This argument is nearly like saying "Since trains are built with wheels 4' 8½" inches apart which is based on Roman chariot wheels, and the Roman Empire killed Jesus, then Christians are forbidden to ride on trains."
They Didn't Celebrate Christmas in the Bible - are you telling me that the angels in the second chapter of Luke were mourning? Of Course they were celebrating the birth of Christ. If we carry this argument further we can say that since cats aren't mentioned in the bible at all, Christians are denied the right to pet a cat.
It's Originally a pagan Celebration - that true, but it doesn't mean it has to be one now. Sol Invictus is not invited to my house, nor Saturn, Odin, or any other ancient false deity. I'm celebrating the birth of Christ my savior and brother and the promises that our Heavenly Father kept. This argument is nearly like saying "Since trains are built with wheels 4' 8½" inches apart which is based on Roman chariot wheels, and the Roman Empire killed Jesus, then Christians are forbidden to ride on trains."
They Didn't Celebrate Christmas in the Bible - are you telling me that the angels in the second chapter of Luke were mourning? Of Course they were celebrating the birth of Christ. If we carry this argument further we can say that since cats aren't mentioned in the bible at all, Christians are denied the right to pet a cat.
Christ wasn't born on Christmas Day - So what? The US didn't declare independence on July 4th, it was actually declared on July 2nd. We celebrate our independence on July 4th because that's the date that the declaration we sent to King George was signed and dated, the vote for independence was held two days earlier. If someone can prove to me exactly when Christ was born, I'll gladly celebrate his birthday on that date, but until that time bringing the shining light of His goodness to the darkest time of the year is fine by me. In the words of Charles Spurgeon:
Since it is lawful, and even laudable, to meditate upon the incarnation of the Lord upon any day in the year, it cannot be in the power of other men's superstitions to render such a meditation improper for to-day. Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of his dear son. - C. H. Spurgeon December 24th, 1871And the Apostle Paul:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corr 6:12)Glorifying God is not something I'll allow a cult to prevent me from doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment