Celebrating Christmas.....for contemplation with prayer and supplication.

I received the following email from a dear friend and asked her if I could share it here on my blog.  She gave me permission to share, so here it is.

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If I may I would like to share with you why we stopped celebrating this holiday several years ago.  But first I want you to know that we are not offended, but humbled by your kind gesture :) And that our family has a deep love for yours :) So I pray that you will prayerfully consider what I share with you.

The two main reasons we stopped are: 1. What we found when we read about it's origins in the encyclopedia and 2. What the bible says what we learned. 

 

The final realization being that God never accepted His people to worship Him with pagan practices.   The more times we read through the old testament the more this becomes clearer and clearer.  Some how modern people proclaiming to be Christians think they are exempt from making these same mistakes.  People are not different now than they were then. Even though the disciples were with Christ, they questioned among themselves who would betray Him.  We feel it is always good to have this mindset that we could be blind even to ourselves.  God has not changed either.  I have often found various scriptures in Malachi interesting when considering these things.  Especially these words  ^"For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:6.   It's amazing to me that the words "I change not" are placed right before the new testament. 

Here is a list of reasons why we don't celebrate christmas. Many of these would also hold true for why we do not celebrate easter.  We humbly follow the Lord's example and that of the new testament church and have communion weekly.   We try to err on the side of caution in regards to these things.  One question we ask ourselves in coming to something so big in our lives is "If this is truly wrong, and I continue in it what then?"  The answer to that is being in disobedience to God.  Next is "If we stop doing ________ , but we are actually mistaken in our thinking, what happens?"  Then at most we limited our liberty and gave up a really pleasurable day.  The cost is not near as high as the first. 

The LORD condemns using pagan religious practices in His worship.

29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest... them, and dwellest in their land; 30 take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deut 12:29-31).

The LORD condemns doing anything under green trees in His worship.

12 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 and ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 4 Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. (Deut 12:1-4).

The LORD condemns the heathen use of decorated trees at a solstice.
Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2 thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen,
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain:
for one cutteth a tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (Jeremiah 10:1-4).

The LORD teaches us to remember His death rather than His birth.
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Phil 3:10) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (I Cor 15:3).

The LORD gave baptism and His supper to remember His death.
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (Rom 6:3-5) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (I Co 11:26).

• The LORD condemns adding to or taking away from His commandments (Deut 12:32).  
• The LORD commands us to separate from and not touch pagan religion (II Cor 6:14-18).
• The LORD commands us to come out of Roman Catholicism and her sins (Rev 18:4).
• The LORD condemns turning to the left or right from His commandments (Deut 5:32-33).
• The LORD told the apostles to teach us to observe only His commandments (Matt 28:20).
• The LORD rejected David's worship for a small detail and killed Uzzah (II Sam 6:1-10).
• The LORD rejected and killed Nadab and Abihu for offering different fire (Lev 10:1-7).
• The LORD rejected Moses from seeing Canaan for a slight modification (Num 20:12).
• The LORD rejected Cain's worship simply for bringing an alternative sacrifice (Gen 4:7).
• The LORD rejected Saul forever for noble intentions in a modification (I Sam 15:22-23).
• The LORD rejected Uzziah and gave him facial leprosy for a new idea (II Chr 26:16-21).
• The LORD requires reverence and godly fear in worship to avoid His fire (Heb 12:28-29).
• The LORD seeks true worshippers to worship Him in truth, not superstition (John 4:23-24).
• The LORD commands us to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered (Jude 1:3).
• The LORD requires us to esteem all His precepts but to hate all other ideas (Ps 119:128).
• The LORD commands us to prove all things by Scripture and reject the bad (I Thes 5:21).
• The LORD expects us to be noble and search Scripture to know true worship (Acts 17:11).
• The LORD curses any gospel different than Paul's, and he didn't preach xmas (Gal 1:8-9).
• The LORD condemns fellowship with men having only a form of godliness (II Tim 3:5).
• The LORD condemns loving pleasure more than God as perilous times (II Timothy 3:4).
• The LORD condemns anything different from His Word as dark ignorance (Isaiah 8:20).
• The LORD hates the polluting of His glorious name with pagan idolatry (Ezekiel 20:39).
• The LORD condemns the superstitious idolatry and blasphemy of the Mass (I Cor 11:26).
• The LORD condemns bringing any item of false religion into our houses (Deut 7:25-26).
• The LORD commands us not to set up any image, which He hates (Deut 16:22; Ex 20:4-6).
• The LORD hates religion that goes under green trees (I Kings 14:23; Isaiah 57:5; Jer 3:6).
• The LORD condemns adopting any practices of the pagans around us (Leviticus 18:1-4).
• The LORD condemns sun worship (Deut 4:19; 17:3; II Kgs 23:5; Job 31:26-28; Eze 8:16).
• The LORD endorses only apostolic traditions, and they never celebrated it (II Thes 2:15).
• The LORD teaches us to remember His death rather than His birth (Phil 3:10; I Cor 15:3).
• The LORD gave baptism and His supper to remember His death (Rom 6:3-5; I Co 11:26).
• The LORD condemns a tradition glorifying sun worship as another gospel (II Co 11:1-4).
• The LORD calls Jewish holy days matters of liberty, but not pagan holidays (Col 2:16).
• The LORD calls Jewish holy days matters of liberty, but not pagan holidays (Rom 14:6).
• The two chief New Testament ordinances - baptism and the Lord's Supper - pertain to His death, not His birth.
• Celebrating Christmas sincerely is identical to Jeroboam's two calves (I Kings 12:26-33).
• Aaron led Israel to worship the LORD with a golden calf to their judgment (Ex 32:1-5).
• It breaks the first commandment by having other gods - the sun god Mithra (Ex 20:3).
• It breaks the second commandment by having images - a Christmas tree (Ex 20:4-6).
• It breaks the third commandment by taking His name in vain - "Christmas" (Ex 20:7).
• Many Baptist martyrs gave their lives to oppose Catholic superstitions and traditions.
• It was a crime to observe Christmas in America, when our country truly feared God.
• It was a crime to observe Christmas in England, when that country truly feared God.
• Santa Claus is a pagan mockery of God the Father with white hair, grandfatherly image, eternal, lives in the North, unlimited resources, omniscient of children's behavior, omnipresent for a night, hears confessions, comes as a thief, blesses children, and distributes judgment for works.
• The name Christmas came from "Mass of Christ," and Christians should reject the Catholic mass. 
• A gift exchange at the winter solstice was invented by pagans to celebrate the sun god.
• Secular encyclopedias will gladly tell you that Christmas came from pagan sun worship.
• Loving Jesus Christ is keeping His commandments, not decorating a tree (John 14:15).
• You cannot do unto the LORD what the LORD has condemned (Deut 12:1-4; 12:29-32).
• Christmas is not a matter of liberty left up to our consciences and/or heart preferences.
• True followers of God will not follow a multitude or majority to false worship (Ex 23:2).
• Godly parents don't lie to their children about a Roman Catholic myth named Nicholas.
• The Bible is totally silent about using this day or any such celebration to honor Christ.
• The Pilgrims in 1620, seeking to worship God in truth, formally banned the holiday.
• The Puritans in 1659, seeking to worship God in truth, set a 5 shillings fine for keeping it.
• The modern Christmas tree was not introduced to this country by Germans until 1821.
• Jesus was not born in December, for one-half year back from Passover is rather October.
• Jesus was not born in December, for shepherds did not stay in the fields during winter.
• Jesus was not born in December, for taxation would not have been in the dead of winter.
• Jesus was not born in December, for wise taxation would have been shortly after harvest.
• Jesus was not born in December, for careful calculation of the priest's courses exclude it.
• The Roman feast at the winter solstice was to the sun god Mithras from the Persians.
• The Roman, extended feast prior to the winter solstice was to Saturn, god of agriculture.
• Emperor Aurelian picked December 25 for this holiday in 274 to worship the sun god.
• Pagan sun worshippers had a great festival to the sun at the winter solstice before Jesus.
• It would be wrong to have a golden calf with candles to worship the Lord our Strength.
• The "birthday of the invincible sun" (dies natalis Solis invicti) was this date in Rome.
• December 25 was chosen by being the date of the winter solstice in the Julian calendar.
• Satan uses this pagan feast to steal glory from the Son of God for ignorant sun worship.
• Jesus promised that the majority are on the wrong road leading to death (Matt 7:13-14).
• Charles Spurgeon, the most popular Baptist minister, preached against it as late as 1871.
• All the unique customs of Christmas may be traced individually to pagan religious rites.
• Using Scripture's silence to justify anything not expressly forbidden.
• The LORD is a jealous God and will judge any playing with other gods (Ex 34:12-16).
• New Testament charity may accommodate weakness, but it cannot error (Romans 14:1).
• The moderation taught in the New Testament is temperance or self-discipline (Phil 4:5).
• It would be identical to offering incense to the brazen serpent of Moses (II Kings 18:4).
• The only day observed by the apostles was the Lord's day (Rev 1:10; Acts 20:7; I Cor 16:2).

Hosea 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.