Christ-Mass at 180 Degrees: A Sin to Celebrate, a Sin to Not

I realize this post may come across as anti-Christmas, as the Grinch, or just plain argumentative, but actually it is more of just a note of thoughts for the individual reader to consider this year.

It is interesting that each year we hear an uproar about people, businesses, or whatever “trying to take Christ out of Christmas”, but I wonder just how many of us know anything about the history of Christmas or actually worship Christ more during the season supposedly celebrating His birth.

First, the word Christmas originates from combining the words Christ (the son of God) and Mass (the Catholic Mass). [1] “The Mass is the complex of prayers and ceremonies that make up the service of the Eucharist in the Latin rites.” [2] Both Baptists (of which I am) and Catholics believe the Lord’s Supper began with Christ [3], but the literal or symbolic nature of the Lord’s Supper is quite different between the two. The Eucharist or ‘Sacrifice of the Mass’ [4] carries with it the idea of Transubstantiation [4]; whereby “Catholic Christian belief [is] in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist” (meaning the bread and wine actually become the literal body and blood of Christ) by their interpretation of such scripture as John 6:53-56 [5]. Whereas Baptist realize the words of Christ were spiritual and not fleshly, for Christ did say in verse 63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” One may notice all who are saved are also called “one bread, and one body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17. And if the ‘cup of the Lord’ is the literal blood of Christ, is the ‘cup of devils’ the literal blood of devils? [1 Corinthians 10:21]

Point 1: Baptists do not celebrate or believe in the teaching of the Catholic Mass, and the word Christmas appears to have originated with Catholic teachings.

Second, according to some “Christmas history of America” [6], in 1645 Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans took over England, and cancelled Christmas as part of their vow to ‘rid England of decadence’ [moral degeneration or decay]. “Puritans by definition felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough, and that the Church of England was tolerant of practices which they associated with the Catholic Church. They formed into and identified with various religious groups advocating greater "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety.” [7] Oddly, during the 1600s, some pilgrims (English separatists, also Puritan in their beliefs) enjoyed Christmas in America, while for others it was outlawed. Even before the Civil War, the North “saw sin in the celebration of Christmas”, while the South celebrated it without guilty conscience. From there, it seems Christmas was promoted in books and Sunday school to the children, then with magazines and decorations to the women.

Point 2: Whereas the Puritans of England seemed to argue that Christmas was not for the Christian (or non Catholic), there were those in America who fought over the idea of whether Christmas was sin or worthy to be celebrated.

Thirdly, when I hear the yearly outcry from professing Christians that this place or that group is refusing the say or promote Christmas, I have to sit back and wonder what all the hoopla is about. Why? Because while we criticize those who do not display nativity scenes or say “Merry Christmas”, I do not see us as Christians doing any more for Christ during a season whereby we claim people are doing less or nothing at all for “Christ’s birthday”. I mean, really, if we would like to demand the lost world (or those “less” Christian) to say “Merry Christmas” to recognize our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (not to mention the Catholic Mass), then why do we as Christians not spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ rather than sitting lazily inside our homes watching football, overeating, and often spending the day with family and friends we don’t always like, with gifts we usually can’t afford?

Point 3: Before we demand a change in other’s priorities, we need to ensure ours are in the right place.

Why does it seem that we - as Christians (or non Catholic) - have gone 180 degrees in stating that it was once a sin (or Catholic) to celebrate Christmas, but now it is apparently a sin (or non Christian) to not celebrate Christmas?

** note: this is not a post against Catholic's or Catholicism, but a post for my Baptists brothers and sisters...

Blessings from Singing Carols of Christ

This past Friday night, December 19th, around 6:30pm, a group of close to sixty persons met in one of the nearby neighborhoods to go Christmas caroling. One of our men in the church showed up with his mule and trailer, with blankets laid out for everyone to sit on. We had the trailer and a diesel truck loaded down with about twenty-five children, sixteen youth, along with sixteen college/career and adults. It was amazing to see how many persons (fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters – by blood and in Christ) came out.

We had a list of names of persons and families from our church that lived in this particular neighborhood, and our plan was to visit and sing at each home. We also sung the familiar tunes of Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Harold Angels Sing, Silent Night, Away in the Manager, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and a few more that escape my mind at the present while driving down the streets. To see the bright eyes and smiling faces of the singing children was beautiful, having their fathers and mothers along with their older brothers and sisters joining in chorus with them.

It is no stretch of the truth to proclaim that each and every visit was exciting and enjoyable to us all. From the singing to those persons we passed on the streets, to those snuggled in their homes who came out to see who sung, to the doors of our church members we knocked, to all did we gleefully give remembrance to the birth of Christ. For what greater love is there, than the love of God in sending His Son Jesus into this world, and in the Savior giving Himself to redeem fallen man? There is no greater!

One of the persons we visited and had the opportunity of singing was a dear soul who has seen this world through her eyes for a hundred years. We can scarcely imagine the changes she has witnessed during her lifetime. Whether it be of the world, of politics, of people, or the church, surely there is much insight and wisdom she has gleaned through the years. To sing the marvelous song of our Savior Jesus Christ and to have her and her family join in harmony with us was truly a blessing one is not often given in this world of instant everything.

On this night, God allowed us the privilege of presenting the good tidings of the birth of our great Savior Jesus Christ to a family none of us knew. As we drove down the street caroling we saw a home with children, young people, and adults standing outside. They seemed to walk out to listen, so we stopped to share the songs of our heart with them. One of the ladies walked over to us and asked if we could all come inside to sing to her father. He is terminally ill, and lay upon a hospital bed so very weak looking. It can hardly be written concerning the site of the home, the family, the father, and his weeping daughter who had asked us to come in to sing to him.

A couple of the good men we have, who had driven us so far, guided the children and us all into the home. The children could not have stood straighter or sung more beautiful. It would have been impossible for any person to have beheld such a sight without ones heart sending forth springs of compassion through their eyes. We were able to pray with the daughter and her father, for which she was so grateful we had given but a small measure of our time and talents. Truly we were unworthy to have had that very moment to share in song and the moving of the Holy Spirit in the midst of that home and persons.

I pray that the Blessings from Singing Carols of Christ will live forever in the hearts and minds of our dear children, young people, and adults who gave of themselves this night. I know they will stay with me.

I appreciate the young persons (our youth) and the college/career who gave great testimony to our children, that singing and witnessing Christ is not merely for little children but for all who proclaim to know Him as Lord and Savior. And to the parents and adults who not only promote the life of Christianity by mouth, but also by deed in their daily lives.

May God bless His children during this season, and may His Spirit continue to enlighten those who do not yet trust in Him.

Is Santa Wearing Hunter’s Red?

Couldn’t help but laugh at the article I was just sent.

Apparently one guy in his spirit of Christmas has decided to put up wooden cutouts of Santa pointing a rifle at Rudolph. Not sure as to what the red-nosed reindeer has done, but apparently, “The Caillouets have been putting up their tongue-in-cheek display for seven years, and in that time, it's caused quite a stir.”

I guess even non-religious stuff like Santa Claus and Rudolph can cause debate at Christmas time! Who’s to say Santa doesn’t shoot reindeer in the off-season? Hahaha!

Hmmm, here is a thought: Do atheist parents allow their children to believe in Santa?

Have Australian Santa’s been told to say “No” to “ho ho ho”

There is apparently a claim that Santas, at least in Australia, will not longer be able to say “ho ho ho.” Some have said that they have been told to replace the traditional greeting with “ha ha ha.”

Why, you ask? Seemingly, some may feel that the term “ho ho ho” could be offensive to women. The claim is that not only can “ho ho ho” offend women it could also possibly scare children.

Honestly, I have seen more children scared of Santa’s beard than his greeting of “ho ho ho.” And I have yet to hear of a mother not bringing their child to see Santa at the shopping centers because of his greeting. Maybe the children are simply scared because it is a big fat man, with a beard, wearing a suit, which they do not know.

My son loves Spiderman and he enjoyed getting his autograph while we were visiting Universal Studios, but when we saw Spiderman in the mall a few weeks later my son was scared to go up to talk to him.

The company, Westaff, claims, “"We ask our Santas to try techniques such as lowering their tone of voice and using 'ha, ha, ha' to encourage the children to come forward and meet Santa. We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.",” but that they have not told the Santas that they could not say “ho ho ho.”

Interestingly, if they have simply made just suggestions, why did “One would-be Santa has told The Daily Telegraph he was taught not to use "ho, ho, ho" because it was too close to the American slang for prostitute” and “Two Santa hopefuls reportedly quit the course because of the hullabaloo of the ho, ho, ho.?”

To this whole ordeal I say, “Ha ha ha.” Poor old man, give Santa a break.

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