| God gave us His
instruction book {the Bible} to learn how we are to obey Him. If we are serious,
then we will look to His word. ISA. 8:20
"To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them." God gave us His holy days, and commands us to keep them. LEV. 23 God does not leave it up to man as to "how" we will worship Him. He only left to us "whether" we will worship Him. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to observe Christ's birthday. The apostles nor the early Church observed His birthday. Rather we are told to sanctify the occasion of His death. The exact day of His birth is purposely obscured. If God had wanted us to observe the birthday of Jesus, He would have told us so. We know from scripture that Jesus was not born on, or near, December 25th. Luke 2:8 tells us the shepherds were still in the fields with their flocks when Jesus was born. They left the fields before the rainy season began around the 1st of October. We know from this, Jesus was born in the Autumn. The Fact was of more importance than the Timing. How then did Dec. 25th become the so called date of Jesus' birth? The Pagans kept this date as a feast to celebrate the winter solstice of the sun. They kept it for 7 days and on the last day gave gifts to each other. It was the birthday of the sun-god, not the Son of God. Jer. 10:2 warns us, "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 ax. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not." The Roman Catholic Church gave us Christmas from the pagans. Constantine was emperor of Rome and made a profession of Christianity during the 4th century. The people had grown up pagan with pagan customs, chief of which was the idolatrous festival of Dec. 25th. They enjoyed it and did not want to give it up. The Catholic Church called it Christ's Mass, later Christmas and it gave them an excuse for calling their pagan day {birthday of the sun-god} the birthday of the Son of God. This December 25th celebration became so rowdy in England that the Puritans did away with the observance of Christmas by law in 1643. The colonists in New England copied the English law. By and by, with immigrants arriving from Germany, Ireland, Holland etc. their pagan beliefs once again became a holiday. Some may say, "But the wise men gave gifts, surely this is OK." MATT. 2:2 The wise men inquired, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?..." They brought gifts to him because they knew He was a King, as custom required them to do. They did not exchange gifts among themselves. If someone gave you a birthday party and everyone there brought gifts and exchanged them among one another and you received nothing, it would be a strange birthday celebration. Have you ever heard anyone ask, "What are you giving for Christmas?" Isn't it always, "What are you getting for Christmas?" Others will say, "Does it really matter if we don't have the exact day or if it was Pagan, we are honoring Jesus." DEUT. 12:30 "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, {heathen} after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise." Verse 31 "Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done. . ." Does it matter how we worship God? If we believe that there is a God then it matters. If we want to please God, we must do as He says. If we want to please our children or friends or neighbors, then this is something else. You will have to decide for yourself. Matt. 15:9 "In vain they do worship me, Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." |
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