Opposites and Equivalents – Part 1
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit [Titus 3:5].
If we ask a variety of people the significance of December 25, we will likely receive a variety of answers. Some would immediately point to the day being Christmas, the birthday of Jesus.
Though the depiction of Jesus’ birth in the Bible isn’t conducive to a winter day in the Middle East—which is what December 25 is there—still, historically it was suitable for converting a pagan celebration of nature into a Christian event. In that way, it was reasoned by human thinking, we can stop the pagans from worshiping their pagan gods on their December 25 celebration and worship Jesus instead.
Trouble is, pagans don’t worship Jesus. They worship pagan gods! And if said pagans were to be born again, then they would no longer want to worship the pagan gods on December 25. So the whole scheme amounted to an exercise in futility. Paganism wasn’t affected positively by the machination, but Christianity was certainly diluted in the process.
Notwithstanding this historical reality, the result has long since been finalized and no longer has anything to do with worshiping pagan gods versus worshiping Jesus. I didn’t bring the issue up as a prelude to declaiming an anti-Christmas diatribe. We are conversing about different responses to the query about the significance of December 25 on our calendar.
Another response would be that December 25 is Christmas, and that is when Santa Claus comes to town. According to this understanding, a certain Saint Nicklaus (aka Santa Claus) lives at the North Pole. He keeps company with an entire work force of elves, who make toys for little girls and boys all year long.
While they are doing this, Santa is busy snooping on the same little girls and boys. He keeps a minutely detailed list of their lives—must be similar to the Lord’s books, which will be opened at the Great White Throne judgment—noting just who has been naughty and who has been nice. The nice girls and boys get the gifts, the naughty ones not so much.
Well, come the night of December 24 and Santa boards his flying sleigh, which is fueled by a nine-reindeer-powered engine. Santa calls each reindeer by name, as they soar through the sky to deliver the toys to the good little girls and boys. Santa’s voice rings through the crisp atmosphere with a melodic charm,
Ho! Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Lead the way, faithful Rudolph, with your red nosed headlight!
And there we have two different answers about the significance of December 25 in contemporary USA. But let us take our leave of good ol’ Saint Nick at this time. The shadows are lengthening and the light is dissipating. We must betake ourselves to Jesus for a time of fellowship, and meet back here tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
If we ask a variety of people the significance of December 25, we will likely receive a variety of answers. Some would immediately point to the day being Christmas, the birthday of Jesus.
Though the depiction of Jesus’ birth in the Bible isn’t conducive to a winter day in the Middle East—which is what December 25 is there—still, historically it was suitable for converting a pagan celebration of nature into a Christian event. In that way, it was reasoned by human thinking, we can stop the pagans from worshiping their pagan gods on their December 25 celebration and worship Jesus instead.
Trouble is, pagans don’t worship Jesus. They worship pagan gods! And if said pagans were to be born again, then they would no longer want to worship the pagan gods on December 25. So the whole scheme amounted to an exercise in futility. Paganism wasn’t affected positively by the machination, but Christianity was certainly diluted in the process.
Notwithstanding this historical reality, the result has long since been finalized and no longer has anything to do with worshiping pagan gods versus worshiping Jesus. I didn’t bring the issue up as a prelude to declaiming an anti-Christmas diatribe. We are conversing about different responses to the query about the significance of December 25 on our calendar.
Another response would be that December 25 is Christmas, and that is when Santa Claus comes to town. According to this understanding, a certain Saint Nicklaus (aka Santa Claus) lives at the North Pole. He keeps company with an entire work force of elves, who make toys for little girls and boys all year long.
While they are doing this, Santa is busy snooping on the same little girls and boys. He keeps a minutely detailed list of their lives—must be similar to the Lord’s books, which will be opened at the Great White Throne judgment—noting just who has been naughty and who has been nice. The nice girls and boys get the gifts, the naughty ones not so much.
Well, come the night of December 24 and Santa boards his flying sleigh, which is fueled by a nine-reindeer-powered engine. Santa calls each reindeer by name, as they soar through the sky to deliver the toys to the good little girls and boys. Santa’s voice rings through the crisp atmosphere with a melodic charm,
Ho! Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Lead the way, faithful Rudolph, with your red nosed headlight!
And there we have two different answers about the significance of December 25 in contemporary USA. But let us take our leave of good ol’ Saint Nick at this time. The shadows are lengthening and the light is dissipating. We must betake ourselves to Jesus for a time of fellowship, and meet back here tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
No comments have been added yet.
