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HEART~2~HEART
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Pastor Lynda MacDonald, Nova Scotia
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JESUS VS
SANTA CLAUS
T’was the night before Christmas
and all was a mess.
Everyone was so tired from strain
and from stress.
I looked up to Heaven for all was
absurd
The answer came back “Just follow
The Word!”
In another month, the civilized world (or not so
civilized) will be in the throes of preparing for the holiday called Christmas.
Bank accounts will be stretched –even broken as presents are bought. Fancy
food, that no one needs, will fill up the refrigerator. Stress levels will rise
until people’s hearts are a health risk. All this in the name of the Prince of
Peace but peace will be nowhere to be found.
What in the world are we missing? Where is this jolly
old man in the red suit that seems to cause people to lose their senses? The
only one jolly is this mythical man. In the infamous words of TV’s Dr Phil
“What were you thinking?” and “How’s it working for you?” It isn’t, is it? No
matter how we try to infuse this season with love, joy and peace it keeps
draining out. Something is wrong!
Have you even noticed that we have given to Santa all
the attributes that only belong to God? He is all-knowing, everywhere, knows
when you are bad or good and his wealth is endless. No wonder the world doesn’t
see Yeshua (Jesus) in Christmas! He is not there. We have replaced him –or –was
He ever there?
The theme we are asked to write about is “How would
Jesus do Holidays?” I would like to offer my best answer. He would not be
involved with the ones that the world does. Since when did the world ever
follow after God?
The only true foundation we have to look for answers in
is the Word of God. We need to search scriptures to see if we are on the right
track. After all, our old nature that did keep these holidays has been re-born
and we are now following a new and living way.
So- what does scripture clearly say? "When the LORD
your God cuts off the nations from before you, wherever you go to possess them,
and you conquer them, and dwell in their land; Take heed to yourself that you
are not snared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and
that you do not follow after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve
their gods? I will do likewise. You shall not do so to the LORD your God: for
every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done to their gods;
for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their
gods. What ever thing I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add
to it, nor diminish from it." -Deuteronomy 12:29-32
We read that we are not to do what the nations do but
we ARE to do what God has commanded us to do. That leaves the question “Isn’t
the holidays –Christmas and Easter Godly days? Did they not originate from Holy
Scriptures? No! They did not!
Two years ago, the TV network A & E featured a
documentary called “The Origins of Christmas”. It was not a spiritual
presentation but a historical one. It gave the background of where each
tradition of Christmas originated –the decorated tree, presents, the Yule log,
the Advent Candle, mistletoe, Santa Claus. Every one was of pagan origin.
(Easter can easily be researched to prove its pagan background also) The beauty
of the “Resurrection day” is not that it was a Sunday but that it is a feast
day –The Feast of First Fruits”. Paul remarks about it in 1 Corinthians
15:20-26.
We try to justify our
celebration of these days by connecting them with Godly things. Isn’t that like
mixing poison with good food –the end result is the same –death! You can dress
a pig up in a cow hide, teach him to say “moo” but he is still a pig. Would you
be fooled? But, we, as believers have been fooled for centuries. Believing that
if we mix a lot of God to the mixture it will become holy. Paul said it well in
1 Corinthians 5:6-7, “Your boasting is not good.
Don't you know the saying, "It takes only a little hametz (yeast = sin) to
leaven a whole batch of dough?" Get rid of the old hametz (sin), so that
you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened
(clean)…”
This takes
us back to the original question “How Would Jesus Do Holidays?” He would not!
He would be participating in sinful acts if He were to keep another god’s
holidays. He kept His Father’s Holidays –the 7 Feasts that reveal Gods plan for
mankind and the weekly Sabbath that is a rehearsal for the Shabbat (Rest) of
1000 years when He returns.
What god are
you following –God, who loved and saved us –the only true One or a god who
represents death and anti-God lifestyles? You will know by which holidays you
are keeping.
An
exceptional YouTube video to watch (there are 3 parts to it)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=brCbIv9JCa8
